ifEDU 


*••> 


ERNEST  A  DEXCII 


V 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Motion   Picture 
Education 


By 

ERNEST   A.   DENCH 

Author  of  "Making  the  Moofa,"" 'Plat/writing 

for  the  Cinema,"  "Adotrtiting  bu 

Motion  Pictures" 


CINCINNATI 

THE  STANDARD   PUBLISHING   COMPANY 


Copyright,  1917 
The  Standard  Publishing  Company 


Ubtug 

ufe 

1044* 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 
I 

Do  MOTION  PICTURES  INTERFERE 
WITH  THE  EDUCATION  OF  THE 
CHILD?  13 

II 

V    STIMULATING   IMAGINATION   BY   MO- 
TION PICTURES 20 

III 

•/'WHAT  THE  FREE-LANCE  HAS  -DONE 

FOR  THE  EDUCATIONAL  FILM  . .     23 

IV 

BATTLES  THAT  ARE  REFOUGHT  FOR 
THE  FILM  29 

V 

^/ARITHMETIC,    SPELLING   AND   HAND- 
WRITING BY  MOTION  PICTURES.  .     35 

VI 

"^PENMANSHIP  IN  MOTION  PICTURES..     38 


850883 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 
VII 

PRINTED   MATTER   IN   MOTION   PIC- 
TURES ......................     41 

VIII 

VX^THE  MOTION-PICTURE  NEWSPAPER  AS 

AN  EDUCATOR  ...............     46 

IX 

IX1  "  THE   SHORTCOMINGS   OF   PHOTOPLAY 

ADAPTED  LITERATURE   ........     49 


SHOWING  MOTION  PICTURES  IN  OPEN- 

AIR  SCHOOLS   ................     54 

XI 

THE    LIMITATIONS    OF    MOTION-PIC- 
TURE EDUCATION  .  ;  ..........     56 

XII 

ARE  SPEED-UP  MOTION  PICTURES  OF 

EDUCATIONAL  VALUE?    .......     60 

XIII 

CONDUCTING     SCHOOL     MOTION-PIC- 
TURE CIRCUITS   ..............     63 

4 


CONTENTS 


PAGE] 

XIV 

LIVING  IN  THE  PAST  BY  THE  MOVIES     68 
XV 

E     STUDY     OF     ATHLETICS     AND 
SPORTS  BY  MOTION  PICTURES  ...     73 

XVI 

WHY  NOT  A  Zoo  FOR  EVERY  TOWN?    78 
XVII 

(/DOMESTIC  SCIENCE  BY  MOTION  PIC- 
TURES       82 

XVIII 

SPEAKING    WORDS    IN    THE    SILENT 
DRAMA 85 

XIX 

^  SELECTING    MOTION    PICTURES    FOR 

CHILDREN    89 

XX 

MOTION   PICTURES   THAT   CHILDREN 

LIKE  96 

XXI 

THE  MOTION-PICTURE  POSTER  MEN- 
ACE      102 

5 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

XXII 

CAPITALIZING  NOTORIETY  IN  MOTION 

PICTURES  105 

XXIII 

THE   PHOTOPLAY   THEATER   CRYING- 
BABY  PROBLEM   in 

XXIV 

OPERA  ON  THE  FILM 114 

XXV 

SPIRITUALISM  BY  THE  FILM 122 

XXVI 
BIBLE  STUDY  BY  MOTION  PICTURES.  .    127 

XXVII 

PUTTING  OVER  SERMONS  IN  PHOTO- 
PLAYS      136 

XXVIII 

RAISING  CHURCH  FUNDS  BY  MOTION 

PICTURES  141 

XXIX 

INCREASING   SUNDAY-SCHOOL   ATTEN- 
DANCES BY  MOTION  PICTURES.  .  .    145 

6 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

XXX 

ALLOWING  CHILDREN  TO  ACT  IN  A 

PHOTOPLAY  THEY  HAVE  SEEN.  .   149 

XXXI 

/  MISSIONARY  WORK  BY  MOTION  PIC- 
TURES     152 

XXXII 

TEMPERANCE  AIDED  BY  MOTION  PIC- 
TURES    158 

XXXIII 

STAMPING  DOWN  CRUELTY  TO  ANI- 
MALS BY  MOTION  PICTURES 162 

XXXIV 

^  THE   MOTION  PICTURE  IN  SURGERY 

AND  MEDICINE   166 

XXXV 

CX^-DENTISTRY  BY  THE  FILM 175 

XXXVI 

(/  FIGHTING     TUBERCULOSIS     BY     THE 

FILM 178 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

XXXVII 

"BETTER  BABIES"  MOVIE  CAMPAIGN.   181 
XXXVIII 

HOSPITAL  FUNDS  THROUGH  A  FILM 
"VISIT" 185 

XXXIX 

THE  "FIGHTING  INFANTILE  PARALY- 
SIS" FILM 188 

XL 

CONDUCTING  A  PUBLIC  HEALTH  CAM- 
PAIGN BY  MOTION  PICTURES.  ...   192 

XLI 

AMERICANIZING  FOREIGNERS  BY  MO- 
TION PICTURES 196 

XLII 

INDUSTRIAL    USES   OF   THE    MOTION 

PICTURE  200 

XLIII 

ENTERTAINING    EMPLOYEES    BY   MO- 
TION PICTURES 214 

8 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

XLIV 

SHOOTING  AT  THE  FILM 223 

XLV 

TEACHING  AGRICULTURE  BY  MOTION 
PICTURES  228 

XLVI 
LIVE  STOCK  IN  MOTION  PICTURES.  . .  232 

XLVII 
USING  THE  MOVIES  UNDER  THE  SEA.  234 

XLVIII 

MOTION  PICTURES  AS  AN  AID  TO  POL- 
ITICS      237 

XLIX 

THE  MOTION-PICTURE  CRITIC 247 

L 
LAW  PRACTICE  BY  MOTION  PICTURES  252 

LI 

AIDING  CRIME  DETECTION  BY  MOTION 

PICTURES  256 

LII 

MOTION  PICTURES  IN  PRISON 260 

9 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 
LIII 

MAKING  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  "ONE 

OF  THE  FAMILY" 263 

LIV 
WRITING  A  LOCAL  PHOTOPLAY 268 

LV 
ATTENDING  TO  THE  ACTING 273 

LVI 
COLORS  EMPLOYED  IN  MAKE-UP 276 

LVII 
SECURING  PERMISSION  FOR  LOCATIONS  279 

LVIII 
TAKING  THE  EXTERIORS 283 

LIX 
LIGHTING  NIGHT  EXTERIORS 289 

LX 
LIGHTING  INTERIORS    292 

LXI 

STAGING  INTERIORS 297 

10 


CONTENTS 


LXII 

TRICK  EFFECTS 303 

LXIII 

TACTICS  ADOPTED  IN  FILMING  NATU- 
RAL HISTORY  SUBJECTS 307 

LXIV 

TAKING  MOTION  PICTURES  FROM  AN 

AEROPLANE   313 

LXV 

FILM  STOCK  TROUBLES  IN  THE 
TROPICS  317 

LXVI 
DEVELOPING  THE  NEGATIVE 321 

LXVII 

How  TO  TAKE  FILM  TITLES 328 

LXVIII 
PRINTING  POSITIVE  COPIES 331 

LXIX 

HOME  MOTION-PICTURE  ENTERTAIN- 
MENTS AS  A  SOURCE  OF  PLEA- 
SURE AND  PROFIT 335 

11 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

LXX 

THE  VALUE  OF  PUBLICITY 339 

LXXI 

IMPROVING    FILM    PRESENTATION   BY 
COLOR  LIGHTING 341 

LXXII 

ARE  WE  TO  HAVE  STEREOSCOPIC  MO- 
TION PICTURES?   346 

LXXIII 

SHOWING  OLD  FILMS  TO  CHILDREN..  351 


12 


I 


DO  MOTION  PICTURES  INTERFERE  WITH 
THE  EDUCATION   OF  THE   CHILD? 

OUT  of  school  hours  the  average  child 
is  never  happy  unless  attending  the 
movies.  To  take  a  typical  town,  Duluth, 
Minnesota,  for  instance,  City  Supt.  R.  E. 
Denfield  has  compiled  the  following  statis- 
tics: 2,621  children  attend  the  movies  once 
weekly;  1,065  twice  weekly;  188  thrice 
weekly;  61  four  times  weekly;  16  five  times 
weekly;  2  six  times  weekly;  15  seven  times 
weekly;  1,044  occasionally;  248  once 
monthly. 

How  do  these  motion-picture  visits  affect 
the  child?  We  hear  reports  that,  after  aa 
evening  spent  in  a  photoplay  theater,  the 
child  is  not  in  a  fit  mental  condition  to 
absorb  his  school  lessons  on  the  next  day. 
Is  this  true?  Whether  the  effect  produced 
is  harmful  or  not  depends  almost  entirely 
upon  the  conditions  under  which  the  pictures 
are  seen  and  the  type  of  picture  shown. 
13 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Many  exhibitors,  I  regret  to  say,  pay 
but  scant  attention  to  the  health  of  their 
patrons.  The  figures  obtained  by  Dr. 
Haven  Emerson,  Health  Commissioner  for 
New  York  City,  tell  their  story  only  too 
eloquently.  No  fewer  than  one  thousand 
motion-picture  theaters  in  New  York  City 
and  Brooklyn  were  visited,  and  of  these 
but  eighty-seven  were  properly  ventilated. 
The  worst  examples  were  the  converted 
store  shows,  but  many  other  houses  were 
equipped  with  electric  fans,  which,  for 
economical  reasons,  were  not  used,  conse- 
quently this  air  circulation  outlet  was  closed. 
In  other  theaters  inadequate  heating  facili- 
ties evidently  were  responsible  for  all  fresh- 
air  outlets  and  inlets  being  closed  up.  To 
quote  from  the  report:  "Perfumed  disin- 
fectants are  being  sprayed  in  some  of  the 
theaters  with  a  cattle-sprayer.  The  spray- 
ing process  does  nothing  to  eliminate  germs 
coming  from  the  mouths  of  patrons,  which 
cause  epidemics  during  the  winter.  Our 
experiments  with  culture-plates  revealed  the 
fact  that  the  quantity  of  germs  immediately 
decreased  when  the  fans  were  operated." 

The  stuffy  atmosphere  which  is  the  inev- 
itable outcome  of  poor  ventilation  causes 
14 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  average  patron  to  leave  the  theater  with 
a  tired  feeling.  This  is  not  natural  tired- 
ness— it  is  the  kind  which  makes  a  child 
wake  heavy  in  the  morning,  instead  of  with 
a  clear  head.  The  reason  is  therefore  not 
hard  to  seek  why  a  pupil  pays  but  scant 
attention  to  his  or  her  lessons. 

Some  assert  that  motion  pictures  are 
hard  on  the  eyes,  while  others  aver  that 
they  actually  prove  a  beneficial  exercise. 
Which  version,  then,  is  correct?  The  eye 
problem  is  mainly  determined  by  the  pro- 
jection. If  it  is  poor,  only  harm  can  result. 
I  know  of  one  girl  who  had  an  attack  of 
nervousness.  The  optometrist,  however, 
ascertained  that  the  theater  she  was  in  the 
habit  of  attending  showed  flickering  films, 
which  had  done  considerable  damage  to  the 
retina  of  each  eye.  He  advised  her  to  dis- 
continue her  visits,  as  otherwise  she  would 
probably  have  paralysis  of  the  optic  nerve. 
The  main  cause  of  flicker  is  old  films.  Films 
rapidly  deteriorate,  and  when  they  reach 
the  "rainy"  stage  they  are  a  menace  to  the 
eyesight.  The  fault,  however,  does  not 
always  arise  from  this,  for  the  operator 
may  be  careless  or  incompetent. 

Another  serious  defect  is  "speeding." 
2  15 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

A  reel  ordinarily  takes  from  sixteen  to 
eighteen  minutes  to  run  off  the  screen,  but 
the  operator  sometimes  shoots  the  reels 
through  at  almost  double  the  normal  speed. 
Speaking  of  this  evil,  a  prominent  Chicago 
oculist  says:  "Severe  test  is  put  upon  the 
eyes  by  the  unnatural  swiftness  with  which 
films  are  sometimes  reeled  off,  making  every 
action  abnormally  rapid  and  jerky,  convert- 
ing the  actor's  walk  into  a  Chinese  trot  and 
giving  all  the  participants  a  sort  of  St.  Vitus 
dance.  The  practice  of  flashing  written 
letters  and  printed  matter  on  and  off  the 
screen  with  almost  lightning  celerity  puts 
the  greatest  strain  upon  the  eyes.  The 
audience,  in  its  eagerness  to  get  an  intelli- 
gent understanding  of  the  action,  makes  a 
strong  effort  to  read  the  lines,  but  in  many 
instances  it  is  given  no  opportunity  to  read 
all  of  them,  and  is  kept  on  a  strain  in  the 
strenuous  effort  to  grasp  them  at  a  fleeting 
glance." 

When  motion  pictures  are  exhibited 
under  ideal  conditions,  the  only  evil  to  be 
feared  is  watching  the  screen  for  too  long 
a  period.  Mrs.  Ella  Flagg  Young,  super- 
intendent of  the  Chicago  schools,  some  time 
ago  suggested  that  a  five-minute  intermission 
16 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

between  the  reels  be  made  compulsory. 
First:  Films  are  of  standard  lengths  and 
there  are  many  objections  to  a  stop  in  the 
middle  of  a  reel.  Second:  Specialists  dis- 
agree with  Mrs.  Young's  views. 

The  average  photoplay  program  occu- 
pies about  two  hours,  which  has  been 
declared  the  ideal  period  in  which  to  view 
films  at  one  sitting.  The  eyes  are  actually 
rested,  but  after  this  period  weariness  slowly 
but  surely  comes  on.  Even  hardened  news- 
paper critics  testify  that  such  is  the  case.  As 
most  theaters  are  run  on  the  continuous 
principle,  a  child  is  liable  to  stay  and  see 
the  performance  more  than  once,  for  it  is  a 
childish  trait  to  watch  a  thing  as  long  as 
possible. 

There  are  many  ways  by  which  the  char- 
acter of  the  films  seen  by  pupils  may  be 
determined.  In  South  Bend,  Indiana,  748 
schoolchildren  were  recently  asked  as  to  the 
kind  of  pictures  they  preferred.  Forty-one 
per  cent,  declared  in  favor  of  educational; 
thirty  per  cent.,  dramatic;  twenty-seven  per 
cent.,  comedy,  and  two  per  cent.,  crime. 

But  a  Vine  Street  (Cincinnati)  school 
goes  one  further.  At  the  morning  session 
each  child  is  asked  whether  he  or  she  was 
17 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

present  at  a  motion-picture  theater  on  the 
preceding  evening.  The  names  of  these 
pupils  are  recorded  and  particulars  taken 
of  the  amount  of  work  performed. 

A  Cleveland  teacher  finds  room  on  her 
schedule  for  holding  an  oral  expression  and 
story-telling  period  once  weekly.  In  con- 
nection with  this  she  encourages  her  pupils 
to  relate  the  stories  of  the  photoplays  they 
have  seen.  It  has  proved  most  popular 
with  the  children  because  it  is  a  subject  dear 
to  their  hearts. 

The  right  kind  of  films  actually  assists 
the  education  of  a  child.  A  sixth-grade 
pupil  who  saw  a  film  of  the  Panama  Canal 
found  this  engineering  wonder  so  fascinating 
that  he  borrowed  books  on  the  subject  from 
the  public  library.  Another  boy  stated  that 
he  liked  natural-history  pictures  because  he 
was  able  to  see  how  animals  and  birds  live. 
A  drama  appealed  to  a  little  girl  owing  to 
the  kindness  and  thoughtfulness  displayed 
by  the  small  boy. 

Bad  films  do  an  untold  amount  of  harm. 
In  this  category  I  would  include  sensational 
dramas  and  vulgar  comedies,  which  leave 
such  an  impression  upon  a  child's  mind  that 
he  lies  awake  all  night  thinking  about  them 
18 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

and  consequently  is  unable  to  concentrate  at 
school  on  the  following  day. 

Not  all  theaters  show  such  undesirable 
pictures,  so  the  child  should  be  taught  to 
discriminate  between  the  good  and  the  bad. 
The  woman's  clubs  are  accomplishing  a  lot 
of  good  throughout  the  country  in  obtain- 
ing suitable  pictures  for  children,  and  in 
many  cases  have  induced  exhibitors  to  give 
special  children's  performances  once  weekly. 

The  Grass  Valley  (California)  Board  of 
Education,  for  instance,  is  working  in  co-op- 
eration with  the  local  motion-picture  show- 
men with  the  prime  object  of  securing  more 
and  better  pictures  for  children.  This  plan 
might  be  adopted  with  advantage  by  school 
authorities  elsewhere, 


19 


II 


STIMULATING  IMAGINATION  BY  MOTION 
PICTURES 

"""THE  eye  plays  an  important  part  in  pres- 
•*•  ent-day  education,  but  it  has  not  yet 
been  brought  up  to  the  efficiency  point. 
Books  and  slides  whet  the  imagination,  but 
fail  to  completely  satisfy  the  same.  Not 
so  with  the  motion  picture,  however.  Why 
are  youngsters  of  all  ages  so  fond  of  going 
to  the  movies?  It  is  because  they  are  able 
to  see  things  as  they  are. 

The  average  city-dweller's  child  has  a 
very  vague  idea  of  the  beauties  of  the 
countryside,  for  some  parents  are  not  well 
off  enough  to  send  their  offspring  to  the 
green  meadows,  hills  and  woods.  These 
are  practically  like  foreign  lands  to  them, 
but  present  these  things  in  motion  pictures 
and  they  will  grasp  every  little  detail  so 
readily  that  it  proves  as  good  as  visiting 
the  places  presented.  The  city  child  would 
in  no  time  be  wise  as  his  country  cousin, 
20 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

especially  in  regard  to  the  haunts  and  habits 
of  wild  animals  and  birds. 

A  friend  of  mine,  teaching  in  England, 
recently  told  me  a  story  anent  a  pupil  who 
had  seen  a  film  covering  England's  largest 
county.  "I  always  thought  that  Yorkshire 
was  a  red  piece  of  land,"  the  boy  remarked. 
"Why?"  asked  his  teacher.  "Because  it  is 
shown  on  the  map  in  red." 

Facts  such  as  the  above,  when  presented 
in  motion  pictures,  would  leave  an  indelible 
impression. 

The  motion  picture  affords  an  extensive 
insight  in  regard  to  the  different  races — 
what  they  are  like,  how  they  live,  indus- 
tries, etc. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter 
I  received  from  a  girl  of  fourteen:  "Motion 
pictures  are  better  to  the  schoolchildren  than 
geography  books  because  it  is  easy  for  them 
to  understand  and  they  can  see  the  places 
described.  People  do  not  have  to  travel 
to  see  beautiful  places  and  scenes,  but  they 
can  see  them  on  the  film." 

The  study  of  literature  is  made  harder 

by  some  of  the  classics  having  to  be  read 

over  more  than  once  in  order  to  sense  the 

story.     But  let  a  grade  first  read  the  book 

21 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

and  then  show  them  the  photoplay  version, 
which  will  only  take  about  an  hour  to  pro- 
ject on  the  screen,  and  they  will  know  the 
characters  completely  and  master  the  story 
without  the  least  difficulty. 

In  regard  to  poetry,  an  author  often 
digs  deep  and  introduces  phrases  which  are 
like  Greek  to  the  average  scholar.  But  if 
a  poem  is  presented  in  motion  pictures,  as 
a  great  many  have  been,  each  verse  pre- 
ceding the  visualization  will  be  shown  on  the 
screen,  destroying  all  doubt  on  the  subject. 

Motion  pictures  sharpen  the  brain  of  a 
child,  make  it  move  quicker,  and  allow 
things  to  be  grasped  which  were  previously 
beyond  its  mental  capacity.  All  this  is  done 
without  "cramming." 


22 


Ill 


WHAT  THE  FREE-LANCE  HAS  DONE  FOR 
THE  EDUCATIONAL  FILM 

YV7ITHOUT    the    free-lance    writer    our 
^*     magazines  and  periodicals  would  lose 
a  great  deal  of  their  interest. 

The  photoplay  producers,  being  business 
men,  have  followed  the  lines  of  least  resist- 
ance. In  saying  this,  however,  I  do  not 
wish  to  reflect  upon  a  body  of  upright  men. 
They  started  out  with  the  idea  of  entertain- 
ing the  masses,  so  they  naturally  turned  their 
attention  to  comedy  and  dramatic  stories. 
With  the  passing  of  time,  their  product 
began  to  show  signs  of  improvement,  and  a 
superior  type  of  patron  favored  the  movie 
theater,  while  the  old  stagers  were  gradually 
educated  up  to  the  point  of  appreciating 
more  substantial  fare  than  pure  romance. 

Europe  was  first  to  cater  to  this  demand 
by    producing    short    educationals.      These 
covered  natural  history,  native  customs,  pop- 
ular science,  industries  and  floriculture. 
23 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

But  experience  has  to  be  purchased  first 
of  all,  so,  instead  of  treating  a  subject  in  a 
highly  entertaining  manner,  like  the  maga- 
zines and  newspapers  so  ably  do,  the  pro- 
ducer, in  too  many  cases,  failed  to  deviate 
from  the  text-book.  His  productions  were 
right  in  line  for  educational  purposes,  but 
they  were  not  palatable  enough  for  general 
consumption.  The  consequence  was  that 
the  educational  got  a  bad  name. 

The  American  producers,  in  view  of  this 
experience,  declined  to  break  down  the 
prejudice  which  arose  to  the  surface. 

Enter,  then,  the  third  party,  the  free- 
lance cinematographer.  He  was  not  ham- 
pered by  having  to  adhere  to  a  releasing 
schedule.  He  might  have  worshiped  the 
guide-book  when  combining  pleasure  with 
business  on  a  vacation,  only  he  did  not,  to 
his  advantage.  To  get  out  of  the  beaten 
track  he  knew  that  he  would  have  to  rely 
upon  his  own  observation  powers,  so  when 
he  ran  up  against  something  out  of  the 
ordinary  he  capitalized  it  on  the  spot. 

It  would  take  a  volume  to  record  all  the 
accomplishments  of  the  numerous  free-lance, 
motion-picture  photographers.  Unquestion- 
ably, the  most  amazing  undertaking  down  to 
24 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

date  is  that  of  the  Williamson  brothers.  In 
1914  they  perfected  their  submarine-tube 
apparatus.  All  the  underwater  pictures  up 
till  then  had  been  taken  in  tanks  and 
aquariums,  so  they  determined  to  obtain  the 
last  word  in  realism.  They  quietly  set  to 
work  in  the  Bahamas,  where  the  water  is 
as  clear  as  crystal  and  the  undergrowth  a 
thing  of  beauty,  to  reveal,  for  the  first 
time,  what  it  is  like  in  King  Neptune's 
domains. 

Divers  had  been  the  only  folks  privi- 
leged to  view  this  sight,  but  none  the  less  a 
photoplay  audience  would  soon  tire  of  it. 
It  was  to  offset  this  that  such  stunts  as 
native  hunting,  and  diving  for  coins,  species 
of  fish,  sponge-fishing,  and  a  fight  between  a 
man  and  shark,  were  added  to  introduce  the 
desired  variety. 

To  prove  that  there  was  no  fake,  the 
first  reel  of  the  picture  was  devoted  to  a 
demonstration  of  their  apparatus. 

Of  big-game-hunting  pictures  in  Africa 
there  have  been  many,  the  best  being 
obtained  by  Paul  Rainey,  Cherry  Kearton 
and  Lady  Mackenzie. 

The  Arctic  regions  have  also  been  well 
plucked.  Edward  Salisbury  spent  three 
25 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

years  in  filming  the  wild  life  of  our  United 
States. 

The  motion  pictures  of  the  ill-fated 
Captain  Scott  South  Pole  expedition  were 
of  unusual  interest,  and  introduced  the 
motion  picture  in  a  new  and  useful  capacity. 
H.  C.  Ponting,  the  camera-man,  recorded 
all  the  activities  of  the  expedition  up  to  the 
time  the  Southern  party  made  their  fatal 
dash.  Although  none  of  the  heroic  party 
came  back  to  tell  the  tale,  there  was  one 
consolation:  they  were  seen  in  harness  until 
they  left  their  comrades. 

Coming  right  home,  Professor  Ditmars 
makes  a  hobby  of  taking  natural-history  pic- 
tures, his  position  of  curator  at  the  New 
York  Zoological  Gardens  providing  him 
with  abundant  facilities  for  this  sort  of 
thing.  Fiddling  with  spiders  and  running 
the  gamut  to  snakes  is  as  tedious  as  it  is 
dangerous. 

It  will  be  news  to  you  to  know  that 
Ditmars  is  averse  to  having  his  machinery 
exploited,  as  it  is  of  a  special  kind.  His 
first  effort  was  a  series  of  pictures  entitled 
"The  Book  of  Nature."  Now,  however, 
he  sells  occasional  "fillers"  to  the  regular 
producers. 

26 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Dr.  George  A.  Dorsey  has  completed 
a  brilliant  piece  of  work  in  his  series  cover- 
ing China,  Japan  and  India. 

The  efforts  of  these  free-lances  have 
abundantly  disproved  the  presumption  that 
the  general  public  would  not  stand  for  more 
than  five-minute  doses  of  educationals. 
Most  of  these  big  productions,  occupying 
the  screen  for  two  hours  or  more,  have  been 
star  attractions  at  the  leading  theaters  in 
New  York,  Chicago  and  London. 

Why  have  they  appealed?  This  lies 
principally  in  blending  the  human-interest 
material  with  the  facts  in  an  unusual  sub- 
ject. 

Had  these  cinematographers  been  work- 
ing on  a  salary  basis  for  the  regular  film 
manufacturers,  they  would,  in  all  proba- 
bility, have  been  deprived  of  the  credit. 

Even  to-day  the  average  regular  pro- 
ducer has  not  a  true  conception  of  the  right 
qualities  for  an  educational  picture.  He 
attempts  to  bolster  it  up  with  an  apology 
for  a  story. 

I  must  not,  however,  permit  my  sense  of 

fairness  to  run  astray,  so  will  state  that  he 

excels  in  producing  one  type  of  educational 

— the    historical.      His    long    experience    in 

27 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

putting  on  comedies  and  dramas  qualifies 
him  to  reconstruct  the  past 

To  get  down  to  the  point,  is  there  any 
chance  for  the  free-lance  cinematographer 
to  make  good  in  this  special  field?  There 
is — if  you  have  new,  practical  ideas.  What 
is  wanted  to-day  are  things  which  have 
never  been  filmed.  Just  because  almost  all 
the  globe  has  been,  seemingly,  covered,  is  not 
to  imply  that  little  else  remains.  In  this  land 
of  wonderful  natural  resources,  for  instance, 
there  are  historical  places,  scenic  charms, 
industries  and  phases  of  natural  history 
galore,  which  have  never  appeared  in 
motion  pictures.  It  is  up  to  you  to  find 
them. 

This  will  afford  you  a  rough  idea  of  the 
possibilities  that  do  exist.  Some  of  the 
regular  producing  concerns  are  open  to 
purchase  the  negatives  of  good  subjects  at 
a  fair  price, 


28 


IV 

BATTLES  THAT  ARE  REFOUGHT  FOR 
THE  FILM 

TTOW  dearly  the  average  film  producer 
*  *  loves  reproducing  battles!  All  the 
thrills  he  wants  are  readily  made,  and  he 
can  steer  ahead  to  his  heart's  content.  The 
mainstay  of  his  work  is  action  spelled  in 
capital  letters,  and  this  is  why  war  pictures 
appeal  to  him  more  than  any  other  class  of 
films. 

When  at  school,  many  of  us  voted  his- 
tory a  dry  and  uninteresting  subject.  It  was 
one  mass  of  facts,  and  the  nearest  we  ever 
got  to  the  visualizing  stage  was  by  a  few 
sketches  contained  in  books,  and  our  lessons 
were  accompanied  by  maps,  which  were 
quite  as  uninteresting. 

The  moving  picture  has  changed  all  this, 
and  battles  that  once  were  only  familiar  to 
us  by  dates  and  names,  now  convey  a  far 
greater  meaning.  We  envy  the  children  of 
to-day,  who  are  able  to  derive  their  learning 
29 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

in  the  easy  and  pleasant  way  the  film  affords. 

Of  course,  none  of  us  .regards  the  pic- 
ture theater  as  an  advanced  school.  We  go 
there  to  be  entertained,  but  if  we  can  learn 
in  an  indirect  manner  at  the  same  time,  so 
much  the  better. 

But  the  director  has  spoiled  himself  too 
many  times  by  mixing  fiction  with  facts. 
The  receipt  does  not  blend  at  all  well. 
When  we  see  advertised  "The  Battle  of 
Never  Occurred,"  we  certainly  look  forward 
to  seeing  the  historian's  record  strictly 
adhered  to.  But  in  the  majority  of  cases 
we  find  the  director  has  gone  beyond  the 
history  book  by  introducing  an  insipid  love 
story  to  hold  the  interest.  To  be  sure,  we 
do  not  object  to  the  gentle  passion  being 
depicted  in  its  right  place,  but  one  can  have 
too  much  of  a  good  thing.  Pie  has,  at 
different  times,  produced  ambitious  war 
spectacles,  and  these  have  been  none  the 
worse — quite  the  opposite,  to  be  precise — 
for  the  love  element  not  being  added. 
When  the  latter  is  introduced,  the  educa- 
tional value  of  the  finished  product  is 
greatly  depreciated. 

Films  that  treat  the  history  in  our  own 
country  serve  to  further  promote  patriotism 
30 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

in  our  breasts.  The  war  now  raging  in  all 
Europe  can  serve  to  substantiate  my  case. 
In  Britain  these  historical  pictures  have 
acted  as  a  stimulant  to  recruiting.  Although 
I  have  no  actual  data  to  force  my  argument 
directly  home,  undoubtedly  the  pictures  of 
our  fight  for  independence,  and  other  wars, 
have  ably  demonstrated  to  us  the  price  we 
had  to  pay  for  liberty.  To  reconstruct  a 
battle  is  more  than  child's  play.  Indeed,  it 
is  a  proposition  full  of  pitfalls.  That  only 
stands  to  reason,  for  it  is  a  page  of  life 
from  the  past,  and  the  director,  to  introduce 
the  convincing  note  throughout,  must  fur- 
thermore reproduce  it  true  to  life. 

As  I  have  before  maintained,  he  should 
not  wander  outside  the  history  of  his  native 
country  in  seeking  subjects  for  war  spec- 
tacles. He  has  got  his  work  cut  out  to 
produce  a  historical  picture  of  his  own 
country,  without  rambling  abroad. 

Probably  the  most  interesting  thing  of 
all  is  obtaining  the  correct  types.  It  is  not 
any  earthly  use  producing  a  film  featuring, 
say,  George  Washington,  if  the  actor  as- 
signed to  the  part  looks  it  about  as  much 
as  the  man  in  the  moon.  The  player  must 
bear  a  striking  likeness,  whatever  noted  per- 

3  31 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

sonage  he  may  have  to  portray.  In  most 
cases  the  players  are  picked  mainly  for  their 
resemblance. 

Some  time  back  an  English  company 
wanted  to  take  a  battle  of  the  Nile  film, 
but,  owing  to  their  inability  to  find  an  actor 
who  would  pass  muster  as  Lord  Nelson, 
they  did  not  proceed  further. 

To  give  the  idea  that  there  are  two 
huge  armies  engaged  when  it  is  not  practical 
to  employ  more  than  a  few  hundred  extras, 
requires  considerable  ingenuity  on  the  part 
of  the  director.  Their  movements,  when 
the  uniforms  of  both  armies  are  much  alike, 
should  not  cause  one  to  lose  sight  of  which 
is  which.  A  very  excellent  film  I  remember 
was  marred  because  of  this  fault. 

It  is  a  good  idea  of  the  film  producers 
to  borrow  portions  of  Uncle  Sam's  army 
and  navy,  and  I  would  like  to  see  both  even 
more  extensively  used,  providing,  of  course, 
the  necessary  official  consent  is  forthcoming. 
There  is  no  other  country  in  the  world  that 
treats  film  producers  so  liberally  as  does 
our  obliging  Government.  Before  now  I 
have  come  across  good  pictures  that  have 
been  spoiled  by  the  unmilitary-like  appear- 
ance of  the  extras  who  filled  in  the  battle 
32 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

scenes.  It  strikes  me  that  a  retired  officer 
could  do  much  to  drill  them  into  proper 
shape  when  the  director  is  at  a  loss  to  find 
the  right  type  of  men.  Those  so  trained 
could  be  regarded  as  specialists  and  thus  be 
always  available. 

I  have  seen  soldiers,  depicting  Revolu- 
tionary times,  marching  along  roads  lined 
with  telegraph-poles.  Incorrect  uniforms 
and  sundry  other  errors  have  likewise  met 
my  gaze  from  time  to  time.  All  these 
things  tend  to  detract  from  the  historical 
value  of  such  films.  It  is  clearly  apparent 
that  a  military  expert  to  supervise  war  films 
would  be  a  worth-while  move  on  the  part 
of  any  manufacturing  concern. 

In  its  own  particular  class  the  "Buffalo 
Bill"  picture  of  the  Indian  wars  was  a 
masterpiece,  for  it  was  stipulated  by  the 
Government  that  if  taken  at  all  it  was  to 
be  historically  correct.  This  was  practically 
assured,  and  afterward  achieved,  when  those 
who  played  the  important  part  in  the  origi- 
nal battles  likewise  figured  prominently  in 
the  moving-picture  version. 


33 


ARITHMETIC,  SPELLING  AND  HAND- 
WRITING  BY  MOTION   PICTURES 

IV /I  ANY  have  asserted  that  such  subjects 
**•*•  as  arithmetic,  spelling  and  handwrit- 
ing can  not  be  taught  by  motion  pictures. 
I  beg  to  differ. 

In  regard  to  arithmetic:  On  the  magic 
white  screen  could  appear  a  blank  black- 
board, on  which  jump  a  bunch  of  jumbled 
figures.  These  would  form  themselves  up 
into  sums,  and  the  numbers  could  be  added, 
subtracted,  multiplied  or  divided,  as  the 
case  might  be. 

Trick  cinematography  allows  these  stunts 
to  be  presented  without  the  human  agent 
being  revealed.  The  only  thing  that  might 
be  said  of  this  plan  is  that  the  "magic-wand" 
element  might  lead  a  child's  inquisitive  mind 
to  wander,  so,  instead  of  paying  strict  atten- 
tion to  the  problem  presented,  he  would 
wonder  how  the  figures  were  made  to  move. 

I  know  of  a  producer  who  has  gone  one 
34 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

better.  The  motion  picture  appeals  to  the 
eye,  and  for  this  reason  I  am  a  strong 
believer  in  presenting  the  facts  by  pictures. 
Well,  to  begin  at  the  beginning,  this  pro- 
ducer engaged  a  troupe  of  child  players, 
who  dressed  and  acted  as  teddy-bears. 
Their  actions,  assisted  by  oranges,  enabled 
many  arithmetical  problems  to  be  solved  in 
a  simple  and  pleasing  manner. 

Another  motion-picture  photographer 
proposes  to  show  the  figure  I  to  be  followed 
by  another  figure  i,  who  fights  his  brother 
to  the  death,  the  result  dissolving  into  the 
figure  2.  This  performance  may  be  con- 
tinued up  to  any  desired  number. 

All  the  foregoing  suggestions  are,  of 
course,  only  suitable  for  kindergarten  classes, 
but  there  is  no  knowing  the  future  develop- 
ments in  motion-picture  arithmetic. 

Spelling  lends  itself  particularly  well  to 
visualized  treatment.  Suppose  a  troupe  of 
acrobats  were  introduced  in  a  scene  and  each 
member  twisted  his  body  in  such  a  way  as 
to  form  a  certain  letter  of  the  alphabet.  If 
these  performers  lined  up  in  a  row,  they 
could  spell  words.  This  is  no  theory;  the 
idea  has  already  been  carried  out  by  one 
film  manufacturer. 

85 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Pupils,  by  this  exceptionally  interesting 
and  effective  way,  would  watch  every  move- 
ment of  the  actors  and  in  this  way  readily 
grasp  the  lesson  taught 

Another  way  would  be  to  show  the 
common  version  of  a  misspelled  word, 
which  immediately  fades  into  the  correct 
spelling. 

If  one  visits  the  motion-picture  theater, 
one  must  have  observed  how  easily  hand- 
writing may  be  taught  by  the  films.  Some- 
times a  close-up  view  of  an  actor  reveals 
him  actually  writing  a  letter.  Take  the 
Kalem  trade-mark  as  another  instance. 
Right  across  the  film  each  letter  is  formed 
with  a  large,  bold,  invisible  hand.  There 
are  also  similar  trademarks  worth  watching. 

Mr.  Palmer,  the  author  of  the  "Palmer 
Methods,"  intends  to  adapt  his  system  to 
motion  pictures,  and  he  has  already  had  a 
film,  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  produced. 
In  this  picture  he  writes  "West  Des  Moines 
High  School"  correctly  on  the  blackboard. 
The  points  accentuated  are  these:  The  right 
writing  posture  both  teacher  and  pupil 
should  assume;  the  difference  between  writ- 
ing comfortably  on  blackboard,  wall  and 
desk.  Incidentally,  the  minor  details,  such 
36 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

as  holding  the  pen,  pencil  or  chalk,  are  not 
neglected. 

The  advantage  of  the  motion-picture 
method  is  that  the  teacher's  hand,  which 
has  been  filmed  close  to  the  camera,  is  seen 
with  equal  clearness  by  every  scholar, 


37 


VI 

PENMANSHIP  IN  MOTION  PICTURES 

1  I  'HE  minor,  but  important,  details  are 
•*•  often  disregarded  in  penmanship.  A 
player,  for  instance,  sits  down  to  write  a 
letter.  His  pen  glides  over  the  paper  at  a 
sixty-miles-a-minute  pace,  and  before  you 
can  realize  it,  he  has  completed  a  letter  of 
moderate  length,  in  neat  handwriting.  That, 
at  least,  is  what  is  shown  on  the  screen  after 
he  is  through. 

No  one  wishes  to  be  bored  to  death 
while  a  character  is  writing  a  letter,  but 
there  is  a  way  of  getting  it  over  in  a  plaus- 
ible manner. 

In  a  recent  photoplay  an  old  man  sat 
down  to  write  a  letter.  He  started  making 
each  word  in  laborious  fashion,  and  every 
few  moments  the  picture  would  switch  to 
another  portion  of  the  action  and  revert 
again,  until  the  epistle  was  completed. 
Then,  when  the  note  appeared  on  the  screen, 
the  spectators  really  believed  he  actually 
38 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

penned  the  note,  so  why  can  not  the  stunt 
be  done  in  a  lifelike  manner  on  every 
occasion? 

Errors  are  also  contained  in  the  letters 
relatives  write  to  each  other,  some  being  as 
brief  as  business  communications.  In  real 
life  folks  write  fairly  long  letters,  in  which 
they  tell  all  sorts  of  family  news.  Each 
word  consumes  a  foot  of  film,  and  it  would 
therefore  be  out  of  the  question  to  devote 
so  much  space  to  superfluous  matter.  A 
more  effective  method  is  to  quote  a  para- 
graph that  directly  concerns  the  play. 

Then,  there  is  the  relationship  in  char- 
acters. A  son  writing  home  to  his  mother 
would  hardly  sign  himself  "Richard  Dare," 
yet  this  is  more  often  seen  than  "Your  affec- 
tionate son,  Dick." 

We  certainly  admire  the  dainty  hands 
of  the  heroine,  but  our  indignation  is  great 
when  a  large,  grubby  hand  holds  the  letter 
on  the  film.  These  "inserts,"  as  they  are 
technically  termed,  are  taken  after  the  action 
has  been  completed,  and  generally  some 
studio  hand  is  assigned  the  task. 

There  is  also  the  note  which  is  written 
under  great  difficulties.  A  picture  which  I 
viewed  on  one  occasion  showed  the  hero 

39 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

leaning  against  the  bureau  with  his  back 
turned.  He  kept  two  desperadoes  at  bay 
with  one  arm,  and  he  put  the  other  behind 
his  back  so  as  to  scrawl  the  message  on  the 
bureau  without  them  seeing  his  actions.  He 
threw  the  note  out  of  the  window,  and  when 
it  cut  in  on  the  film  the  writing  was  as  good 
as  if  done  under  normal  conditions. 

But  this  was  nothing  compared  with 
another  photoplay  in  which  the  heroine 
wrote  a  letter  with  a  pointless  pencil. 

The  motion  picture  aims  to  be  true  to 
life,  and  the  prevalence  of  these  careless 
mistakes  only  serves  to  belie  its  claims. 


40 


VII 

PRINTED  MATTER  IN  MOTION  PICTURES 

T^VEN  the  motion-picture  makers  can  not 
*— '  get  along  without  the  assistance  of  the 
printing  art.  Theirs  is  supposed  to  be  a 
craft  by  which  everything  is  visualized  in 
pictures,  but  the  fact  remains  that  the 
photoplay  producer  is  as  helpless  as  a  sink- 
ing ship  in  a  storm,  without  explanatory 
matter. 

Take,  for  instance,  the  average  motion 
picture.  First  the  title  and  the  maker's 
name  are  thrown  on  the  screen,  then  the 
cast  of  characters,  and,  after  about  two 
introductory  scenes,  it  is  necessary  to  show 
a  subtitle,  or  leader,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  to  throw  light  on  what  the  characters 
are  doing,  their  relations  to  each  other,  etc. 
This  process  continues  at  frequent  intervals 
until  the  finis. 

The  motion-picture  players  are  very 
clever  in  conveying  the  meaning  of  many 
things  with  the  aid  of  gestures  and  facial 

41 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

expressions,  but  these  mediums  have  their 
limitations. 

We  are  not  yet  sufficiently  versed  in 
lip-reading  to  understand  that  the  father  is 
on  the  verge  of  ruin,  by  the  lip  movements 
of  the  players.  Or  that  a  lapse  of  ten  years 
takes  place.  At  stages  like  these,  subtitles 
render  invaluable  assistance. 

There  has  been  a  hue  and  cry  over  this 
use  of  explanatory  matter,  we  asserting  that 
we  go  to  see  pictures  instead  of  to  pore 
over  the  efforts  of  printers'  ink.  So  pro- 
ducers thought  that  they  could  easily  bridge 
the  gulf  by  having  Father  Time  come  out 
in  a  scene  and  chip  off  ten  years.  One 
other  producer  had  the  dialogue  fade  in 
the  middle  of  the  scene,  when  a  character 
spoke.  But  all  have  been  in  the  nature  of 
experiments,  and  have  never  achieved  any 
vogue,  so  once  again  the  subtitle  reigns 
supreme. 

Each  word  employed  in  a  subtitle  or 
other  explanatory  matter  uses  up  a  foot  of 
film,  consequently  scenario  authors  have  to 
explain  things  in  as  few  words  as  possible, 
though  they  sometimes  sacrifice  clearness 
for  brevity.  These  announcements  are  first 
printed  in  the  ordinary  way,  after  which 

42 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

they  are  mounted  on  cards  and  cinemato- 
graphed. 

Often  explanatory  matter  is  adopted  to 
explain  the  obvious.  The  adage  about  "any 
old  port  in  a  storm"  holds  good  in  this 
instance,  for  the  lazy  photoplaywright  finds 
it  the  easiest  way  by  which  to  put  over  his 
play.  One  photoplay,  in  which  a  young 
couple  were  married,  introduced  a  subtitle 
to  explain  this  incident.  But  when  I  came 
across  the  same  situation  in  another,  the 
newlyweds  were  shown  leaving  the  house 
of  the  minister,  and  in  the  next  scene  was  a 
close-up  of  the  bride's  hand,  displaying  the 
wedding-ring,  which  her  mother  was  look- 
ing at. 

Sometimes  directors  are  not  overpartic- 
ular in  regard  to  such  things  as  spelling, 
punctuation  and  grammar. 

It  often  proves  annoying  to  see  the 
newspaper  items.  A  player  has  only  to 
pick  up  a  newspaper  for  a  moment,  when 
he  sees  an  important-to-him  paragraph. 
Imagine  any  newspaper  putting  it  on  the 
front  page. 

Then,  there  is  the  newspaper  write-up, 
the  headlines  of  which  provide  the  desired 
information.  But  the  first  few  lines  of  the 
43 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

text  are  allowed  to  remain,  for  atmosphere, 
presumably.  These,  in  too  many  instances, 
have  no  possible  connection  with  the  head- 
lines. What  the  director  does  is  to  cut  out 
the  headline  and  then  fill  in  the  one  of  the 
author's  concoction. 

Many  of  the  faults  of  the  misuses  of 
film-printed  matter  may  be  traced  to  the 
film  editor.  When  the  negative  is  com- 
pleted and  developed,  all  pieces  are  assem- 
bled and  run  off  in  a  disjointed  condition. 
Many  stops  are  made  to  cut  scenes  and 
place  them  in  their  proper  places,  subtitles 
and  other  printed  matter  being  added  where 
needed. 

Sometimes  he  finds  that  the  picture 
exceeds  the  standard  length,  so  he  cuts  down 
the  space  allotted  to  the  subtitles,  and  then 
we  are  annoyed  that  they  do  not  remain  on 
the  screen  long  enough  for  us  to  grasp 
their  meaning. 

He  is  also  responsible  for  the  dialogue 
subtitles  appearing  at  the  beginning  of  a 
scene,  instead  of  about  the  middle,  thus 
robbing  a  photoplay  of  its  suspense,  and  the 
player  speaking  at  the  right  time. 

A  perfect  photoplay  has  been  defined 
as  one  possessing  no  explanatory  matter 

44 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

whatever.  But  it  is  absurd  to  expect  this 
while  the  motion  picture  proceeds  along 
its  present  lines. 

I  have  yet  to  see  a  photoplay  get  across 
successfully  without  printed  matter,  and,  in 
my  opinion,  the  aim  of  directors  and  photo- 
play authors  should  be  to  eliminate  the 
prevailing  defects, 


45 


VIII 

THE  MOTION-PICTURE  NEWSPAPER  AS 
AN  EDUCATOR 

YY7HILE  there  are  thousands  of  news- 
**  papers  published,  from  Maine  to 
California,  there  are  but  several  animated 
newspapers.  They  possess  a  great  advan- 
tage over  their  press  contemporaries  in  that 
they  are  not  localized — they  cover  the 
important  news  events  of  the  world.  Con- 
densation, therefore,  is  brought  down  to  a 
fine  art,  for  all  this  huge  stretch  of  territory 
is  covered  each  week  in  two  thousand  feet 
of  film,  taking  about  half  an  hour  to  run 
off  the  screen. 

Like  regular  newspapers,  the  newsies  of 
the  movies  have  representatives  in  a  town 
of  any  importance,  and,  as  they  have  some 
sort  of  an  arrangement  with  their  British 
contemporaries,  they  are  able  to  cover  other 
continents. 

The  work  of  the  topical  cinematographer 
is  not  easy.  Indifferent  weather  may  handi- 
46 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

cap  him;  a  permit  may  not  be  obtainable; 
there  is  competition  to  reckon  with;  he  has 
to  work  in  trying  places  and  there  are 
inquisitive  crowds  to  be  handled  diplo- 
matically. Under  all  these  conditions  he 
has  to  grind  out  the  regulation  sixteen 
pictures  a  second — the  results  will  be  farci- 
cal, otherwise.  I  well  remember  seeing 
an  English  royal  procession  film.  The 
coaches  and  guards  proceeded  at  a  racing 
pace,  instead  of  in  the  usual  dignified  way. 
The  audience  simply  roared  with  laughter. 
The  operator  in  this  case  must  have  lost 
his  head  and  turned  the  crank  slower, 
for  this  gives  the  reverse  results  when 
photographed. 

When  the  negative  is  developed,  it  is 
edited  by  the  picture  editor,  who  cuts  out 
the  dead  parts,  prepares  and  inserts  the 
descriptive  titles  and  boils  down  each  item 
to  its  relative  importance. 

The  motion  picture  is  far  better  for 
teaching  children  what  is  going  on  than  the 
ordinary  newspaper,  which  often  abounds 
with  crime  stories  and  other  stuff  objection- 
able to  children.  To  sift  out  the  bad  from 
the  good  involves  much  time  and  trouble, 
and  even  then  the  lesson  is  apt  to  prove  dry 
4  47 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

to  the  pupil,  for  much  is  left  to  the  imagina- 
tion. 

But  appeal  to  the  eye  with  the  help  of 
a  news  motion  picture,  and  a  child  will  sit 
up  and  take  notice.  He  will  readily  become 
familiar  with  prominent  persons;  see  the 
havoc  wrought  by  the  European  war;  know 
the  meaning  of  "preparedness,"  and  so  on. 
From  their  own  lips  children  have  told  me 
that  they  have  also  learned  how  foundation- 
stones  are  laid,  the  launching  of  battleships 
and  the  damage  done  by  accidents. 

The  animated  newspapers  are  also  doing 
good  work  in  the  history  field,  for  all  events 
as  they  occur  are  preserved  for  the  benefit 
of  posterity,  so  that  future  generations  will 
know  what  we  were  like. 

Even  to-day,  when  a  prominent  person 
dies,  the  animated  newspapers  unearth  a 
film  and  include  same  in  the  regular  edition. 
President  Wilson,  for  instance,  was  pleased 
to  be  presented,  after  his  wife's  death,  with 
a  film  taken  at  a  garden  party  at  which 
Mrs.  Wilson  was  present. 

Any  film-exchange  is  at  liberty  to  hire 
any  topical  desired,  for  a  moderate  fee,  the 
amount  of  which  decreases  with  the  age  of 
the  film. 

48 


IX 


THE  SHORTCOMINGS  OF  PHOTOPLAY 
ADAPTED  LITERATURE 

T  ITERATURE  and  the  photoplay  are 
*— '  closely  allied  to  each  other,  for  by  the 
former  we  read,  while  by  the  other  the 
words  are  visualized  into  actions. 

More  than  ever  the  printed  page  is 
being  drawn  into  the  ever-gobbling  net  of 
the  film.  Many  of  the  great  classics  have 
been  adapted,  others  are  in  preparation, 
and  fiction  authors  are  reaping  harvests  by 
selling  the  film  production  rights  of  their 
novels  and  short  stories. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  hear  complaints 
of  the  harm  done  as  the  result  of  the  photo- 
play encroaching  on  the  realm  of  fictiondom. 
It  is  certain  that  a  thing  can  not  do  good 
to  some  without  hitting  others,  yet  the  harm 
done,  fortunately,  is  practically  nil. 

First  we  have  the  libraries,  who  assert 
that  there  has  been  a  big  decrease  in  the 
demand  for  modern  fiction.  It  is  certain 
49 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

that  we  fans  can  not  do  two  things  at  once, 
and  we  prefer  to  sit  through  the  "nutshell 
screen  novel,"  in  preference  to  wading 
through  a  mass  of  words  to  get  down  to  the 
story.  No  doubt  authors,  publishers  and 
booksellers  alike  have  felt  the  draught,  but 
they  alone  are  to  blame,  for  it  is  only  the 
minor  novel  that  is  being  affected.  It  has 
taught  them  that  the  public  has  learned  to 
appreciate  quality  instead  of  quantity.  Yet 
in  the  case  of  the  adapted  classics  it  has 
brought  them  good  business.  When  one  of 
these  had  been  shown  in  a  town,  there  has 
been  a  great  run  on  the  works  both  at  the 
libraries  and  book-shops,  especially  the  lat- 
ter. Many  of  us  make  our  first  acquaintance 
with  the  good  things  in  literature  at  the 
picture  theater.  The  publishers  have  re- 
sponded to  this  demand  by  issuing  cheap 
reprints,  which  have  met  with  a  big  sale. 
The  storehouses  of  literature  have  been  ran- 
sacked so  much  that  few  famous  literary 
lights  of  the  past  now  remain  untouched. 
Now  for  some  criticism  on  the  work  of  the 
producers.  Best  results  are  never  obtained 
by  adapting  foreign  literature.  I  have  seen 
versions  of  Dickens'  novels,  by  American 
producers,  that  have  failed  to  impress 
50 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

earnest  students  of  his  writings.  The  char- 
acters looked  so  truly  American  that  they 
were  mere  caricatures  of  his  creations.  The 
same  applies  to  the  works  of  other  scribes. 

Another  thing,  the  Old  World  atmos- 
phere was  lacking,  except  on  those  few 
occasions  when  a  company  has  sent  a  troupe 
of  players  abroad  for  the  purpose.  This 
was  overcome  in  many  instances  by  faking 
exteriors  in  the  studio,  a  practice  that  de- 
serves to  be  heartily  condemned,  inasmuch 
as  it  detracts  from  the  naturalness  that  is 
the  motion  picture's  greatest  asset. 

I  have  seen,  too,  versions  of  French 
classics  by  English  players  whose  portrayals 
lacked  the  elaborate  pantomime  that  char- 
acterizes the  warm-blooded  French.  I  have 
therefore  come  to  the  conclusion  that  clas- 
sics can  only  be  done  justice  by  being  pro- 
duced in  the  country  of  their  origin,  by 
native  players.  I  also  greatly  deplore  the 
tendency  to  modernize  ancient  novels  by 
attiring  the  characters  in  present-day  dress. 
It  greatly  annoys  those  spectators  who  are 
at  all  familiar  with  the  literary  work.  Small 
but  important  errors  of  all  kinds  have  been 
the  rule  rather  than  the  exception. 

If  the  screen  is  to  retain  its  reputation 
51 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

as  an  educator,  there  must  be  no  repetition 
of  these  serious  defects. 

Few  screen  versions  follow  the  original 
work  minutely.  The  reason  is  not  far  to 
seek.  In  a  lengthy  novel  there  are  no  end 
of  superfluous  side-shoots  that  would  ham- 
per the  straightforwardness  which  charac- 
terizes the  photoplay.  But  producers  should 
not  overstep  their  bounds  by  altering  the 
main  plot  to  suit  their  liking. 

In  modern  fiction  the  plot  is  secondary, 
but  the  screen  portrayals  provide  something 
that  the  average  film  plot  lacks.  That  is 
characterization,  which,  so  far,  is  essentially 
the  gift  of  the  fictionist,  and  when  the  pic- 
ture is  capably  produced  it  gives  us  great 
enjoyment  to  take  an  interest  in  real-life 
characters  instead  of  mere  puppets,  depend- 
ing for  success  on  the  personalities  of  the 
leading  players. 

Many  prefer  first  "seeing"  the  book 
before  reading  it.  On  the  printed  page  the 
story  starts  in  about  the  middle,  and  until 
the  end  is  reached  it  keeps  switching  back- 
ward and  forward.  How  much  better, 
then,  to  have  the  story  presented  right  from 
start  to  finish,  as  on  the  film.  Besides,  it  is 
more  easily  followed,  and  the  story  that 
52 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

would  take  days  to  digest  can  be  unfolded 
on  the  screen  in  an  hour  or  so. 

This  speeding-up  process  has  prompted 
magazine  editors  to  demand  clean-cut  stones 
that  are  devoid  of  padding. 

The  film  is  also  excellent  as  a  biogra- 
pher, though  our  producers  have  hardly 
utilized  its  great  possibilities.  In  Europe 
much  more  has  been  done,  and  on  a  far 
greater  scale,  and  pictures  of  Lincoln,  Queen 
Victoria  of  Britain,  Wagner,  Anne  Boleyn 
and  Shakespeare  call  for  especial  mention. 

The  success  of  such  films  depends  much 
on  obtaining  a  real  prototype  of  the  per- 
sonages introduced.  This  often  proves  a 
hard  task  and  much  make-up  is  out  of  the 
question.  In  the  case  of  Barker's  "Sixty 
Years  a  Queen,"  the  producers  were  at  a 
loss  to  find  a  player  to  represent  King 
Edward,  and  eventually  had  to  resort  to 
advertising  in  the  London  dailies,  offering 
$250  for  the  services  of  such  a  man. 

Yes,  it  is  certain  that  the  photoplay  is 
doing  a  great  service  to  literature,  despite 
the  bad  points. 


53 


X 


SHOWING  MOTION  PICTURES  IN   OPEN- 
AIR  SCHOOLS 

WHAT  are  the  advantages  of  showing 
educational  motion  pictures  in  open- 
air  schools?  The  motion  picture  is  pri- 
marily an  indoor  form  of  entertainment,  yet 
it  need  not  be  debarred  from  the  open-air 
school. 

To  install  motion  pictures  in  an  indoor 
school,  it  is  essential  to  set  apart  a  room 
with  plenty  of  exits,  and  other  safety-first 
precautions,  if  the  regulations  regarding 
same  are  to  be  complied  with. 

With  open-air  exhibitions  there  are  no 
such  regulations,  consequently  the  prelimi- 
nary expenses  are  less  and  no  special  space 
is  necessary. 

Indoor  shows  are  given  in  more  or  less 
darkness,  which  is  a  disadvantage,  since  it 
places  temptations  in  the  way  of  pupils,  and 
it  is  best  to  be  on  guard  against  lack  of 
attention. 

54 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  outdoor  show  has  one  disadvantage 
— that  of  light.  Most  of  the  screens  on  the 
market  are  only  suitable  for  presenting  pic- 
tures in  semi-darkness,  so  it  behooves  edu- 
cators to  purchase  the  special  type  of  day- 
light screen.  I  would  point  out,  however, 
that  more  electricity  is  consumed  in  order 
to  project  a  clear  picture, 


55 


XI 


THE  LIMITATIONS  OF  MOTION  PICTURE 
EDUCATION 

\  7ERSATILE  as  the  motion  picture  is,  it 
*  is  powerless  to  perform  the  impossible. 
There  is  no  such  thing  in  this  wide  world 
elastic  enough  to  be  employed  for  every  con- 
ceivable thing  and  occasion,  so  when  we 
come  down  to  the  problem  of  applying  the 
motion  picture  to  education,  we  also  find 
obstacles  in  our  path. 

That  is  precisely  why  it  can  not  oust  the 
teaching  methods  at  present  in  vogue — it 
can  never  be  more  powerful  than  a  com- 
petent assistant. 

The  best  and  most  practical  plan  is  for 
the  teacher  to  give  the  lesson  first  in  the 
ordinary  way,  then  to  arrange  for  the  exhi- 
bition of  the  film  or  films  covering  the  sub- 
ject under  notice.  The  picture  should  not 
be  shown  as  at  the  photoplay  theater,  but 
the  teacher,  instead,  should  lecture  on  it 
and  draw  the  attention  of  the  pupils  to  the 
56 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

most  vital  points.  In  a  film  scene  these  are 
quite  apt  to  be  overlooked  among  the  multi- 
tude of  details.  A  lantern  would  also 
further  facilitate  matters  in  enabling  explan- 
atory slides  to  be  projected  while  the  film 
is  stopped  at  the  necessary  places,  for  film 
views  can  not  be  shown  in  a  stationary  posi- 
tion. The  one  disadvantage  of  the  motion 
picture  is  that  you  can  not  elaborate  on  any 
point,  for  it  changes  over  to  another  too 
quickly. 

There  is  danger,  in  the  speeding-up 
methods  governing  the  presentation  of  dif- 
ferent subjects  in  film  form,  of  trying  to 
cram  too  much  into  a  child's  brain  at  one 
time.  Some  pupils  possess  greater  intelli- 
gence than  others,  so  I  recommend  not 
showing  another  picture  until  the  preceding 
one  has  been  mastered.  At  this  stage  the 
lights  could  be  switched  on  and  the  pupils 
questioned,  or  assigned  a  composition. 

There  might  also  arise  a  tendency  on 
the  part  of  pupils  to  grow  lazy,  when  they 
have  knowledge  imparted  in  such  a  simple 
and  pleasant  way.  This  can  be  promptly 
dealt  with,  should  the  situation  be  notice- 
able, by  threats  to  cut  off  the  motion-picture 
lessons.  No  pupil  would  want  that  to  be 

57 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

done,  so  it  should  create  much  more  enthu- 
siasm among  the  pupils  in  their  other  les- 
sons. English  was  generally  thought  to  be 
one  of  the  out-of-bounds  subjects,  but  I 
want  to  set  on  record  here  that  the  motion 
picture  is  really  of  great  help  in  this  direc- 
tion. The  letter  I  recently  received  from  a 
girl  of  fourteen  proves  this.  This  is  what 
she  said:  "At  the  grammar  school  which  I 
am  attending,  I  had  a  course  to  write  a  com- 
position from  my  schoolteacher  about  the 
red  Indians.  I  had  not  heard  very  much 
about  them,  so  it  was  not  an  easy  task.  One 
Saturday  afternoon  I  went  to  a  motion-pic- 
ture show  and  saw  a  picture  of  some  Indians. 
They  were  having  war  with  some  settlers 
that  had  settled  in  some  part  of  the  coun- 
try. I  saw  how  they  fought,  how  they 
decorated  themselves,  how  they  earned  their 
living  and  how  they  lived.  It  was  a  strange 
sight  to  see  these  redskins,  but  I  soon  came 
to  know  what  kind  of  people  they  were,  and 
I  finished  my  composition  in  good  shape. 
This  is  the  reason  why  I  could  write  my 
composition." 

But  while  the  cinematograph  is  not  so 
superior  as  is  the  text-book  in  getting  over 
facts,  it  can  impart  a  deeper  meaning  and 
58 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

relieve  them  of  any  dryness.  Take,  for 
instance,  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
The  events  that  led  up  to  it  could  be  shown, 
and  appropriately  closed  with  the  historical 
incident  itself. 

In  regard  to  history  and  geography,  it  is 
a  great  pity  that  the  photographic  difficulties 
debar  the  filming  of  the  interiors  of  historic 
buildings  and  such  things  as  caves,  for  fre- 
quently the  most  interesting  things  are  to  be 
found  under  cover.  In  these  details  the 
teacher  must  fall  back  on  lectures  and  text- 
books, 


59 


XII 

ARE  SPEED-UP  MOTION  PICTURES  OF 
EDUCATIONAL  VALUE? 

''"TEACHERS,  as  a  rule,  are  much 
*•  opposed  to  anything  that  savors  of 
attempting  to  teach  a  pupil  too  much  in  a 
limited  time.  Long  experience  has  taught 
them  the  receptive  capacity  of  a  child's 
brain.  The  invariable  result  of  resorting 
to  the  cramming  process  is  that  it  so  con- 
fuses a  child  that  he  or  she  can  remember 
little  more  than  when  it  started.  Happily, 
however,  the  motion  picture  has  nothing  in 
common  with  other  hustling  systems — it 
stands  on  a  plane  by  itself. 

In  the  first  place,  let  it  be  understood 
that  the  motion  picture  makes  its  appeal 
through  the  eye,  which  imposes  no  severe 
demands  on  the  imagination  of  a  child,  for 
everything  is  presented  with  such  reality  and 
simplicity  that  no  pupil  of  ordinary  intelli- 
gence can  fail  to  grasp  what  it  sees  with 
its  own  eyes. 

60 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Several  demonstrative  lessons  may  be 
covered  at  once,  but  each  simmers  in  before 
another  comes  on  the  screen,  so,  at  the  end 
of  the  projection  of  several  films,  a  child 
retains  a  clear  impression  of  them  all. 

I  have  heard  teachers  aver  that  such  a 
subject  as  the  stages  depicting  the  birth  of 
a  plant  until  the  flower  blooms  should  not 
be  shown  in  such  a  short  period.  In  a  few 
minutes  a  picture  covers  the  growth  of 
several  months.  This,  they  assert,  when 
shown  on  the  screen,  gives  a  child  a  false 
conception  of  nature's  work.  Certainly  the 
argument  is  a  good  one,  but,  looking  at  it 
from  a  broader  standpoint,  unless  the 
growths  were  accelerated  in  this  way  they 
could  not  be  shown  at  all.  Neither  is  it  a 
fake  on  the  part  of  the  film  producer.  The 
subject  is  covered  in  a  perfectly  natural  way 
by  taking  a  few  feet  of  film  at  regular  inter- 
vals. No  child  will  look  upon  such  films  as 
the  work  of  a  fairy  waving  her  magic  wand, 
for  explanatory  titles  invariably  precede 
each  incident,  telling  that  a  specified  time 
elapses  between  certain  growths. 

Then,  we  have  the  scientific  film.  One 
of  this  type  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
recently  seeing  showed  blood  corpuscles  as 
61 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

large  as  dinner-plates.  These  were  at  war 
with  dozens  of  large  microbes,  which  hit 
back  at  each  other.  These  things  were 
magnified  no  less  than  ten  thousand  times. 
Here  is  another  example  of  what  could  not 
be  done  unless  the  insects  were  brought 
under  the  microscope  and  cinematographed. 
Faulty  operating  can  do  much  to  mar 
a  picture,  for,  should  the  operator  project 
the  films  more  than  sixteen  pictures  to  the 
second,  subtitles  will  not  remain  on  the 
screen  long  enough  to  be  properly  compre- 
hended. On  the  other  hand,  instead  of 
seeing  people  and  things  moving  naturally, 
they  do  so  at  a  ridiculous  pace.  Correct 
projection,  therefore,  is  essential  for  the 
educational  presentation  of  motion  pictures. 


62 


XIII 

CONDUCTING  SCHOOL  MOTION-PICTURE 
CIRCUITS 

IN  the  motion-picture  industry  new  pro- 
*  ducers  spring  up  like  mushrooms,  and  the 
ones  that  survive  are  those  backed  up  by  a 
scientific  distributing  plan.  Exactly  the  same 
problem  confronts  educational  bodies  in 
adopting  motion-picture  education;  they 
must  worship  system. 

A  circuit  of  schools  is  highly  desirable, 
because  it  is  more  practical  to  purchase  the 
films  outright  from  a  regular  exchange  than 
to  hire  same  on  every  occasion.  It  is  also 
more  reliable,  for  exchanges  are  prone  to 
substitute  one  film  for  another. 

"We  need  municipal  circulating  libraries 
of  motion  pictures,"  said  John  Collier,  sec- 
retary of  the  National  Board  of  Censorship. 
"The  city  should  own  the  films  and  rent 
them  out  to  public  schools,  libraries,  settle- 
ments and  recreating  centers. 

"When  any  school  tries  to  get  certain 
5  63 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

pictures  they  find  them  'on  the  road,'  prob- 
ably in  some  distant  part  of  the  country,  in 
such  a  circulation  that  it  is  impossible  ever 
again  to  get  any  particular  picture,  after  it 
has  once  started  on  its  circuit." 

Obviously,  therefore,  establishing  a 
school  film  exchange  is  the  best  solution  of 
the  problem,  and  in  this  connection  the 
University  of  Wisconsin  is  the  pioneer.  The 
Department  of  Visual  Education  set  itself 
up  in  business  by  purchasing  130  reels  of 
films  and  eighteen  thousand  lantern-slides. 
Each  of  the  285  schools  receives  a  set  of 
eighty-five  slides,  and  the  seventy-eight 
schools  possessing  motion-picture  projectors 
receive  a  reel  of  film  in  addition. 

The  slides  and  films  are  changed  weekly, 
so  there  is  comfortable  time  to  prepare 
children  for  same.  When  through  with 
them,  the  school  sends  the  parcel  on  to  its 
neighbor,  the  only  cost  being  about  thirty 
cents  for  express.  The  State  is  arranged  in 
territories,  so  as  to  facilitate  distribution  of 
the  films. 

How  such  a  system  may  be  inaugurated 

is  best  gleaned  from  the  plan  followed  by 

the   California   State   Board  of  Education. 

The  State  Board  collected  all  the  suitable 

64 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

films  from  available  sources  and  catalogued 
same  in  order  that  the  schools  could  select 
any  particular  subject  they  desired.  This 
service  was  also  extended  to  apparatus. 

The  experiments  carried  out  by  the 
London  County  Council  are  not  without 
their  practical  value: 

"An  educational  series  of  films  should 
be  exhibited  in  the  halls  of  six  polytechnics. 
Each  series  would  last  forty-five  to  fifty 
minutes,  and  would  be  given  four  times 
during  the  day — twice  in  the  morning  and 
twice  in  the  afternoon — between  the  hours 
of  ten  and  twelve,  and  two  and  four,  respec- 
tively. By  limiting  each  performance  to 
about  fifty  minutes,  the  children  could  be 
changed  without  difficulty.  It  would  be 
possible  for  about  one  thousand  children  to 
be  present  at  each  performance.  The  appar- 
atus would  be  kept  in  each  polytechnic  for 
the  first  five  days  of  the  week,  and  be  moved 
on  to  the  next  polytechnic  on  the  Saturday, 
ready  for  use  on  the  following  Monday. 
We  are  considering  the  advisability  of 
arranging  for  a  large  number  of  children 
to  see  the  films  on  one  occasion  only,  or  for 
a  smaller  number  of  children  to  see  them  on 
more  than  one  occasion. 

65 


MOTION  PICTURE  EDUCATION 

"A  large  number  of  films  will  be  sub- 
mitted for  selection,  and  the  same  program 
will  be  used  throughout  the  entire  period. 
We  have  made  arrangements  for  the  list 
of  films  to  be  submitted  to  us  for  approval 
before  the  experiment  is  begun.  Instruction 
will  be  given  by  teachers  in  the  schools  on 
the  subject  of  the  various  items,  both  before 
and  after  the  performance.  A  lecturer  at 
the  exhibition  will  not  be  necessary,  as,  with 
the  instructions  given  by  the  teachers  and 
the  explanatory  notes  accompanying  the 
films,  the  children  will  be  able  to  follow 
without  difficulty." 

But  the  difficulties  increase  when  a  school 
decides  to  give  motion-picture  shows  on  its 
own  account.  This  fact  debarred  the  Board 
of  Education  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  from  carry- 
ing out  its  film  plans,  as  the  city  fire  and 
insurance  regulations  were  too  expensive  to 
be  complied  with. 

No  other  course  is  open  than  to  set 
apart  a  special  room  for  motion-picture 
lessons  on  the  ground  floor,  which  should 
be  equipped  with  the  regulation  tip-up  seats, 
screen,  a  fireproof  operating-booth  and 
plenty  of  exits. 

The  most  costly  item  of  equipment  is 
66 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  projection  machine,  and  $250  seems  a 
lot  of  money  to  spend,  since  same  will  only 
be  used  about  once  weekly.  The  Iowa 
State  College  at  Ames  formed  a  circuit  of 
schools,  and,  by  defraying  freight  charges, 
any  high  school  thus  unequipped  may  hire 
a  projection  machine. 

Last,  but  not  least,  is  acquiring  expert 
assistance,  for  motion-picture  exhibiting  is 
not  without  its  technicalities.  The  teacher 
could  not  operate  the  machine  because  he 
would  have  his  hands  full  in  lecturing  to 
the  film  and  in  looking  after  his  pupils. 

A  regular  operator  could,  of  course,  be 
hired,  but  as  his  services  would  only  be 
needed  on  one  day  weekly,  the  expense 
would  be  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  ser- 
vice rendered.  If,  however,  he  could  work 
a  circuit  of  schools,  his  salary  could  be 
shared. 

The  Iowa  State  College,  for  instance, 
has  on  its  staff  a  consulting  engineer,  who 
renders  assistance  to  schools  in  need  of 
motion-picture  advice. 


67 


XIV 

LIVING  IN  THE  PAST  BY  THE  MOVIES 

T  TOWEVER  good  the  printed  page  or 
*•  •*•  still  photograph  may  be  in  recalling 
the  past,  there  is  nothing  to  equal  or  excel 
the  film.  The  dead  come  to  life  again, 
and  pleasant  evennts  in  one's  lifetime  can 
be  recalled. 

To  begin  with  history  first,  the  only 
way  by  which  we  can  learn  the  History  of 
our  forefathers  is  through  the  historian's 
facile  pen.  Word-painting  has  its  limita- 
tions, and  that  is  why  we  miss  the  actual 
seeing  of  things. 

But  the  camera  can  not  lie.  What 
better  sight  could  one  have  than  to  be 
treated  to  seeing,  in  moving  pictures,  the 
fight  for  independence  or  the  Civil  War? 
I  am  not  alluding  to  the  historical  pictures 
produced  by  the  manufacturers  to-day,  for 
these  are  only  based  on  history,  but  I  refer 
to  genuine  films  taken  at  the  time  these 
great  events  took  place.  Alas!  the  cinema- 
68 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

tograph  was  not  thought  of  then,  so  these 
things  will  never  become  a  reality. 

Then,  again,  what  could  be  better  than 
seeing  our  ancestors  come  to  life  again? 
How  amusing  it  would  be  to  see  them  in 
their  .quaint  dresses,  amid  an  archaic  envi- 
ronment and  the  customs  that  prevailed  at 
that  time!  We  could  then  appreciate  the 
wonderful  progress  we  have  made,  while  if 
there  were  films  available,  showing  the  his- 
tory of  the  United  States  from  Puritan  days 
*to  the  present  time,  we  should  feel  immense- 
ly proud  of  ourselves  for  descending  from 
such  splendid  stock. 

Tin's  brings  me  down  to  the  modern 
times.  What  about  the  events  that  occur 
day  by  day  and  are  duly  recorded  by  the 
cinematograph  camera  ?  Beyond  their  inter- 
esting us,  nothing  is  apparently  being  done 
to  preserve  these  films  for  the  sake  of  pos- 
terity. Our  Government  has  ordered  films 
of  the  red  Indians  to  be  taken,  but  prac- 
tically no  move  has  been  made  in  other 
equally  important  directions.  A  good  law 
would  be  to  compel  film  producers  to  for- 
ward a  copy  of  every  topic  they  make  to 
Washington,  so  that  a  permanent  record 
may  be  kept.  Far  from  resenting  such  a 
69 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

bill  coming  to  pass,  the  producers  would  be 
only  too  willing  to  oblige. 

It  would  be  indeed  selfish  to  think  of 
the  present,  for  when  we  have  served  our 
allotted  span  on  the  earth,  our  successors 
will  be  naturally  curious  to  know  how  we 
lived  and  what  transpired  in  our  lifetime. 
A  hundred  years  hence  the  world  will  have 
progressed  as  it  has  during  the  last  century, 
so  what  better  medium  for  recalling  the 
past  is  there  than  the  versatile  cinemato- 
graph? Children  will  have  no  need  to  be 
taught  history  and  progress  by  dull  books — 
moving  pictures  will  reveal  everything  in 
actual  reality.  Thus  will  the  fullest  develop- 
ment of  the  film  as  an  educational  medium 
be  reached.  The  sooner  that  this  important 
matter  is  given  the  attention  it  demands,  the 
better. 

The  producers  have  been  very  good  in 
their  laudable  attempts  to  reproduce  history 
and  costume  plays  on  the  screen,  but,  how- 
ever excellent  their  efforts  may  be,  they  can 
not  approach  the  real  thing.  But  we  can 
not  overlook  the  marvelous  character  of  the 
film  actor's  make-up.  A  lot  depends  on 
getting  a  double  of  a  famous  personage,  as 
near  as  possible.  Take,  for  instance,  Benja- 
70 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

min  Chapin,  who  has  gained  a  reputation 
for  his  splendid  portrayals  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  The  same  may  be  said  of  William 
Humphreys  as  Napoleon. 

For  all  this,  one  knows  that  he  is  only 
witnessing  a  rehash  of  the  past,  so  they 
therefore  fail  to  convince  like  the  genuine 
historical  film  would.  Even  now,  when  a 
famous  personage  dies,  his  features  have 
usually  been  caught  by  the  moving-picture 
camera,  and  the  animated  newspapers  revive 
the  scenes,  which  are  received  with  increased 
interest  and  enthusiasm.  This  surely  is  a 
good  proof  of  the  necessity  for  the  cinema- 
tograph to  be  utilized  as  a  permanent 
recorder  of  history. 

France  has  already  established  a  cinema 
archive  for  the  purpose  of  preserving  the 
most  important  public  events  taking  place 
the  world  over,  so  why  should  we  lag 
behind? 

Aside  from  the  public  side  of  the  matter, 
even  we  private  beings  would  do  well  to 
call  in  the  film's  aid. 

Let  us  begin  with  the  baby.  By  having 
fifty  feet  or  so  taken  of  him  in  a  natural 
way,  and  following  this  up  with  more  fifty- 
foot  snaps  of  a  few  years'  duration  until  the 
71 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

child  had  grown  up,  it  would  enable  the 
fond  parents  to  revel  in  their  offspring's 
happy  childhood  days.  As  for  the  grown- 
up youngster,  how  pleased  he  would  be  to 
hark  back  to  his  youth,  when  in  the  evening 
of  his  life.  He  could  follow  his  progress 
from  babyhood  to  manhood  within  twenty 
minutes. 

In  their  old  age,  parents  are  fond  of 
relating  the  intimacies  and  happenings  of 
family  life,  but  it  often  happens  that  time 
has  played  havoc  with  their  memories.  This 
plan  has  already  been  followed  by  some  of 
the  wealthy  families,  who  are  taking  care 
that  the  camera  men  are  kept  at  work  taking 
scenes  about  their  estates. 


72 


XV 

THE  STUDY  OF  ATHLETICS  AND  SPORTS 
BY  MOTION  PICTURES 

TN  real  life  athletics  put  over  their  stunts 
*  at  such  a  rapid  pace  that  a  close-up  study 
of  their  movements  is  out  of  the  question. 

Photographs  have  been  suggested  as  a 
way  out  of  the  difficulty,  but  it  is  seldom 
possible  to  catch  a  motion  at  the  right  time, 
while  the  motions  would  not  be  continuous. 

Motion  pictures  offer  an  effective  solu- 
tion. To  obtain  films  true  to  life,  they  must 
be  taken  at  the  rate  of  sixteen  "frames" — 
or  pictures — to  the  second.  There  are  six- 
teen of  these  frames  on  a  single  foot  of 
film,  or  sixteen  thousand  in  the  case  of  a 
one-reel  production. 

Therefore,  under  these  conditions,  the 
study  of  athletics  is  just  as  far  off  as  before. 
The  only  way  out  is  to  slow  up  the  move- 
ments, which  would  seem  an  impossible  task 
were  not  the  motion  picture  so  versatile. 

Cinematography  reverses  many  things, 
73 


MOTION   PICTURE  EDUCATION 

so  a  number  of  athletic  games  like  running, 
jumping  and  throwing  the  weights  were 
filmed  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  frames  to 
the  second,  which  feat  was  accomplished  by 
a  motor  attachment  to  the  camera. 

In  the  studio  is  a  peculiar  kind  of  clock 
called  a  "chronoscope,"  and  it  is  introduced 
in  order  to  show  the  time  which  elapsed 
between  each  motion. 

It  contains  but  one  dial,  which  is  oper- 
ated by  clockwork.  The  face  is  divided  up 
into  twenty  sections,  each  one  of  which  rep- 
resents one-twentieth  part  of  a  second.  The 
chronoscope  is  set  in  motion  immediately 
the  camera  man  turns  the  crank,  and  con- 
tinues until  the  motion  has  been  completed. 

The  film,  when  seen  on  the  screen,  is 
projected  at  the  normal  speed.  The  results 
amaze,  when  the  two  methods  are  con- 
trasted; although  the  hurdler  travels  as  fast 
as  an  express  train,  he  is  made  to  walk 
along  at  the  pace  of  an  old  man.  When  he 
leaps  the  hurdle,  he  is  as  graceful  as  a  bird. 

Harvard  College  has  adopted  the  film 
as  part  of  its  athletic  training.  The  work 
is  in  charge  of  Percy  Haughton,  the  football 
coach,  who  has  had  films  taken  of  the  teams 
at  play.  He  has  already  been  able  to  trace 
74 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

some  of  the  weak  points  of  his  men  to  their 
source. 

In  baseball,  the  New  York  National 
League  has  utilized  the  motion  picture  to 
stamp  out  all  useless  motions.  With  this 
object,  pictures  of  the  players  in  action  have 
been  taken.  These  are  diligently  studied, 
and  the  speed  in  which  amateur  and  pro- 
fessional pitchers,  catchers,  batters  and  base- 
men work  is  therefore  available.  The 
method  is  so  scientific  that  the  exact  time  a 
pitcher  takes  in  the  wind-up,  the  speed  of 
the  pitched  ball,  the  angles  assumed  by  its 
curving,  and  how  long  the  batter  is  in  find- 
ing out  he  has  banged  it  and  making  a  start 
for  a  new  base,  the  precise  period  the 
catcher  takes  to  recover  after  taking  the 
pitched  ball,  and  then  run  129  feet  along 
the  track  to  try  to  put  out  the  runner  speed- 
ing from  the  first  base  to  the  second — all 
these  things  are  revealed. 

As  to  horse-racing,  a  French  trainer  has 
discovered  that  it  is  instructive  to  visit  the 
motion-picture  theater  in  order  to  see  the 
races  in  which  one  or  more  of  his  horses 
have  run. 

In  1914  there  was"  a  dispute  over  the 
Derby — the  English  classic.  "Bumping" 
75 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

and  "boring" — foul  play  on  the  part  of  the 
jockeys — occurred,  but  many  disagreed  with 
the  steward's  decision,  who  stated  that  it 
did  take  place  and  disqualified  the  favorite. 
The  motion  picture,  however,  had  recorded 
all  these  incidents,  and  thereby  proved  its 
worth  as  a  judge. 

In  boxing,  too,  champions  have  found  it 
instructive  to  have  their  efforts  recorded  on 
the  film  and  self-criticize  them  when  later 
thrown  on  the  screen. 

In  England,  not  so  long  ago,  an  attempt 
was  made  to  instruct  the  amateur  golfer  in 
regard  to  the  correct  way  in  which  to  play 
his  strokes.  Accordingly,  several  famous 
golfers  posed  for  a  bunch  of  snapshots,  but 
when  these  were  put  on  a  mutoscope 
machine  in  rotation,  it  was  found  that  they 
lacked  continuality. 

But  all  shortcomings  were  obviated  when 
J.  A.  Taylor,  five  times  world's  golf  cham- 
pion, consented  to  give  a  demonstration  for 
the  film,  by  which  it  was  possible  to  follow 
every  movement  of  the  body,  with  the  start 
of  the  swing-back  until  the  follow-through 
was  over.  The  predominant  features  of 
the  pictures  were  the  champion's  marvelous 
driving  and  his  excellent  "putting"  and 
76 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

"stymie"  strokes.  Several  close-up  views 
served  to  clearly  show  the  right  positions 
the  hands  and  feet  should  be  in. 

One  peculiar  thing  about  cinematography 
is  that  an  ordinary  quick  movement  appears 
ridiculously  rapid  when  the  film  is  shown  on 
the  screen.  For  this  reason,  Mr.  Taylor 
did  not  work  with  his  customary  pace,  but 
slowed  down  in  order  that  his  actions  would 
get  over  effectively.  This  film,  which  only 
took  fifteen  minutes  to  show,  taught  the 
amateur  more  than  he  could  have  learned 
in  weeks  by  any  other  method. 

I  am  also  informed,  on  very  good 
authority,  that  several  professionals,  when 
off-color,  find  the  motion  picture  highly- 
instructive. 


77 


XVI 

WHY  NOT  A  ZOO  FOR  EVERY  TOWN? 

A  NY  person  interested  in  the  welfare  of 
•**•  animals  must  greatly  regret  that  beasts 
and  creatures  of  the  forest,  field,  stream  and 
air  are  penned  up  in  such  artificial  places 
as  zoos.  While  the  animals  do  not  suffer 
physical  cruelty  through  their  forced  impris- 
onment, it  is  certain  that  it  causes  them 
mental  pain.  To  keep  nature's  creatures 
prisoners  is  directly  opposed  to  the  law  of 
mankind,  no  matter  how  good  the  intention 
may  be. 

The  zoo  is  only  a  pretense  made  to 
deceive  the  animals  into  the  belief  that  they 
are  living  under  natural  conditions.  Rocky 
ponds  for  polar  bears,  and  caves  for  bears 
and  wolves,  are  but  mockeries  compared 
with  their  natural  homes. 

They  also  suffer  considerable  discomfort 
at  the  hands  of  visitors,  who  overfeed  them 
with  unsuitable  food,  while  children  like  to 

tease  them.     It  is  all  these  unnatural  things, 
78 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

and  more,  that  contribute  to  the  number  of 
untimely  deaths. 

After  all,  what  are  zoos  really  for? 
Mainly  that  folk  can  study  wild  animals, 
but  this  purpose  holds  no  ground  whatever, 
since  this  desire  could  only  be  completely 
satisfied  by  viewing  them  in  their  natural 
homes.  Here  they  possess  perfect  freedom 
and  are  not  conscious  that  any  human  being 
is  in  sight. 

How,  then,  can  the  long-sought-for 
problem  be  solved?  The  ideal  substitute  is 
the  versatile  motion  picture.  Just  think  of 
the  many  times  it  has  transported  people  to 
the  African  jungle,  and  even  to  the  strange 
creatures  in  the  vast  wastes  around  the 
North  and  South  Poles. 

The  men  who  film  these  natural-history 
studies  deserve  to  be  praised  for  the  courage 
and  resourcefulness  they  so  often  display. 
In  the  case  of  an  unsavage  creature  like  the 
fox,  the  motion-picture  operator  places  a 
dummy  tree  or  cow  near  his  den.  As  the 
contrivance  is  hollow,  and  holes  are  pro- 
vided for  observation  purposes,  he  can  film 
without  being  seen.  But  before  he  com- 
mences the  actual  work,  he  generally  installs 
a  motor,  in  order  to  accustom  his  quarry 
e  79 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

to  the  clicking  of  the  motion-picture  camera. 

When,  however,  he  is  on  the  war-path 
of  denizens  of  the  jungle,  he  varies  his  plan 
and  employs  the  most  appropriate  dummy 
animal.  He  also  smothers  himself  with 
some  vile-smelling  liquid,  which  completely 
deceives  the  strong  sense  of  smell  possessed 
by  the  beasts. 

My  idea  is  this:  Abolish  ordinary  zoos, 
and  deport  all  their  occupants  to  where 
they  rightly  belong;  then  replace  them  with 
motion-picture  zoos.  From  time  immemo- 
rial the  big  cities  have  enjoyed  the  monopoly 
of  the  ordinary  kind,  whereas,  if  the  refor- 
mation came  to  pass,  every  small  town 
would  be  in  a  position  to  boast  of  a  motion- 
picture  zoo,  with  films  of  all  kinds  of 
animals,  birds,  insects  and  fishes  known  to 
be  in  existence. 

The  most  suitable  place  in  which  per- 
formances could  be  given  would  be  the 
public  library.  The  funds  for  same  would 
be  very  nominal,  and  could  easily  be  pro- 
vided for  out  of  the  taxes. 

The  library  could  obtain  its  collection 
by  buying  a  positive  copy  of  every  suitable 
natural-history  subject  from  the  producers. 

At  an  appointed  hour  daily  the  whole 

80 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

collection  of  motion  pictures  could  be  run 
through  for  the  edification  of  visitors,  who 
would  learn  more  in  a  few  hours  than  in  a 
thousand  visits  to  the  ordinary  zoo,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  find  the  new  method  the 
more  entertaining  of  the  two. 

A  motion-picture  zoo  is  as  essential  as 
a  well-stocked  library,  and  as  the  film  plays 
such  an  important  part  in  American  life 
to-day,  there  should  be  no  opposition,  but 
support  rather,  on  the  part  of  municipal 
bodies. 


81 


XVII 

DOMESTIC  SCIENCE  BY  MOTION 
PICTURES 

NOTHING  seems  impossible  by  the 
motion  picture  these  days,  and  there 
exist  big  possibilities  in  the  field  of  domestic 
science.  Several  of  these  possibilities  have 
been  converted  into  accomplishments,  and 
if  these  can  be  profited  by,  so  much  the 
better,  for  the  path  of  the  pioneer  bristles 
with  difficulties. 

Let  us,  first  of  all,  take  the  selection  of 
food.  An  Indiana  meat-purveyor  recently 
had  a  film  produced  entitled  "Meat,  and 
How  to  Buy  It."  This  picture  informs 
housewives  as  to  the  different  kinds  of  joints, 
the  nutritive  value  and  relative  cost  of  same. 
The  film  advises  spectators  to  avoid  the 
choice  cuts,  which  cost  more,  while  the 
apparently  inferior  cuts  are  seldom  called 
for. 

Carving  is  a  subject  about  which  a 
housewife  can  not  know  too  much.  One  of 
82 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  producing  companies  recently  released 
for  public  exhibition  a  motion  picture  under 
the  descriptive  title  of  "Lessons  in  Carv- 
ing." 

The  picture  first  shows  a  chef  correctly 
carving  a  roast  of  beef.  In  front  of  the 
carver  is  the  rib  side  of  the  roast,  and  he 
jabs  the  fork  between  the  ribs  just  to  the 
left  of  the  center.  He  holds  the  knife  in 
his  right  hand  and  makes  long,  even  strokes 
in  the  direction  of  the  ribs. 

The  duck  is  the  next  subject  dealt  with. 
The  neck  of  the  bird  faces  the  carver's  left, 
and  he  places  the  fork  in  the  side  directly 
in  front  of  him.  To  sever  the  leg  he  cuts 
right  through  the  skin  and  flesh  until  he 
finds  the  joint.  The  same  plan  is  adopted 
in  removing  the  wings. 

He  removes  the  breast  meat  by  first 
cutting  a  long  portion  on  each  side  toward 
the  breast-bone,  after  which  horizontal  slices 
are  cut  in  the  direction  of  the  center. 

The  turkey  is  third.  The  chef  just 
pierces  the  skin  and  continues  the  right  cut 
around  the  leg,  using  the  fork  to  break 
down  the  joint.  With  the  next  cut  he  divides 
the  drumstick  and  second  joint.  A  third 
cut,  and  three  pieces  are  made  out  of  two. 
83 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Then  the  breast  is  attacked.  The  chef 
guides  the  knife  over  the  shoulder  and  slices 
the  white  meat  in  the  direction  of  the  wing, 
from  the  breast. 

The  chef  discards  his  knife  when  coming 
to  a  ham,  and,  instead,  uses  one  of  a  special 
type.  The  carver  planks  the  hock  end  of 
the  meat  by  his  right,  and  drives  his  fork  a 
little  to  the  left  of  the  center  facing  him. 
The  chef  severs  a  thick,  wedge-shaped  piece 
from  the  butt  end,  and  makes  a  horizontal 
cut  toward  the  right  in  order  to  obtain  the 
desired  slices. 

With  films  such  as  the  two  above 
described,  many  facts  concerning  domestic 
science  could  be  portrayed  in  a  more  con- 
vincing manner  than  is  possible  at  a  lecture, 
where  much  depends  on  watching  the  move- 
ments, which  are  seldom  equally  discernible 
from  all  parts  of  the  hall.  On  the  screen, 
however,  all  the  points  are  emphasized  in 
close-ups,  and  the  person  in  the  back  row 
obtains  as  good  a  view  as  her  neighbor 
seated  in  the  front  row. 

It     is     perhaps     significant     that     Miss 
Grauel,      president     of     the     Housewives' 
League  of  Cleveland,  now  uses  motion  pic- 
tures in  conjunction  with  her  lectures. 
84 


XVIII 

SPEAKING  WORDS  IN  THE  SILENT 
DRAMA 

'  I  'HE  photoplay  is  so  often  referred  to  as 

•*•     the  "silent  drama"  that  one  is  apt  to 

form  the  impression  that  the  actors  merely 

move  their  lips  when  supposed  to  be  talking. 

Not  so  awfully  long  ago,  when  realism 
was  not  the  important  factor  it  is  to-day, 
characters  were  wont  to  say  things  before 
the  camera  which  had  no  bearing  on  the 
situation.  I  well  remember  one  photoplay 
in  which  the  hero  proposed  passionately  to 
the  heroine.  The  scene  was  taken  in  a 
desert  outside  Egypt,  and  the  heat  was 
baking.  Instead  of  saying  "I  love  you. 
Will  you  marry  me?"  the  hero  remarked 
for  the  benefit  of  the  director:  "For  heaven's 
sake,  stop  the  camera  a  minute.  I  can't 
stick  it  much  longer.  The  darned  flies  are 
biting  my  eyes  out." 

Another  case  occurred  in  staging  a  thrill. 
Mountain  brigands  were  holding  on  grimly 

85 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

to  dangerous  positions  on  the  cliffs,  when 
the  villain  complained  about  his  boots.  He 
was  supposed  to  issue  instructions  to  his 
band,  but  what  he  uttered  was  as  follows : 
"I'm  not  going  to  climb  this  mountain  with 
my  pinched  toes.  I'm  going  to  change  my 
boots  first."  And  he  did! 

An  historical  production  called  for  an 
execution  by  the  ax-and-block  method.  The 
"business"  of  the  hero  was  to  receive  the 
ax  from  the  headsman  in  order  to  feel  how 
keen  the  edge  was,  but  when  this  was  being 
filmed  the  headsman  chipped  in  with:  "Han- 
dle that  ax  carefully,  old  top.  It  took  me 
hours  to  polish  it,  and  if  you  are  not  careful 
you  will  remove  all  the  glitter." 

Instances  like  the  foregoing  were  really 
quite  common,  and  they  got  by  the  majority 
of  motion-picture  patrons.  But  the  minority 
had  to  be  reckoned  with — the  producers  left 
them  out  of  their  calculation — and  as  they 
were  deaf-mutes,  their  efforts  could  not  be 
put  to  a  sterner  test.  The  result  was  that 
the  deaf-mutes  were  provoked  to  laughter 
in  intensely  dramatic  scenes.  Sometimes 
they  left  the  hall  because  of  having  detected 
bad  language.  Both  indirectly  and  directly 
this  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
86 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

producers,  who  promptly  took  steps  to 
abolish  the  grave  defect.  Signs  were  posted 
around  the  studio,  requesting  players  to 
abstain  from  bad  language  in  exciting  scenes, 
while  the  director  suddenly  became  strict. 
For  all  this,  the  players  have  no  strict  lines 
to  adhere  to — they  say  things  that  seem 
natural  to  the  situation.  If,  for  instance,  a 
character  is  introduced  to  another,  the  first 
remarks:  "Pleased  to  meet  you."  Should 
they  meet  a  second  time,  the  greeting  is, 
"How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Brown?" 

On  the  screen  you  may  be  greeted  with 
such  a  title  as  "You  are  a  coward."  Now, 
unless  the  director  uses  this  as  a  "line,"  and 
requests  his  players  to  put  the  proper 
amount  of  feeling  into  the  sentence,  it  will 
not  get  across  effectively.  For  this  reason 
we  are  often  able  to  catch  such  simple 
phrases  as  "Will  you  marry  me?'* 
"Mother,"  "No,"  "Yes."  There  is  a  tech- 
nique  in  pronouncing  words  so  that  they 
get  across  the  screen,  and  the  recognized 
rule  is  to  divide  single  syllables  into  two. 
This  means  that  when  a  player  exclaims  the 
word  "Father,"  he  says  it  in  this  way: 
"F-ather." 

The   Cincinnati   Self-improvement   Club, 

87 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

composed  of  deaf-mutes,  decided  to  test 
"Cameo  Kirby"  because  it  was  a  stage 
adaptation  featuring  the  selfsame  star — 
Dustin  Farnum.  After  seeing  the  photo- 
play, the  club  reported  that  it  had  been 
possible  to  follow  many  of  the  dialogue 
passages. 


88 


XIX 

SELECTING  MOTION  PICTURES  FOR 
CHILDREN 

'"THE  mistake  made  in  setting  a  high 
*•  moral  standard  for  photoplays  has  been 
in  fixing  it  the  same  for  the  matured  adult 
as  for  the  infant.  This  is  foolish  in  the 
extreme.  Take,  for  instance,  the  magazine 
field,  where  there  is  not  one  publication  aim- 
ing to  appeal  to  all  kinds  of  folks,  from  five 
to  ninety.  It  can  not  be  done,  so  that  the 
only  solution  in  catering  to  their  peculiar 
needs  is  to  run  special  shows  with  suitable 
films. 

The  trouble  now  is  that  there  is  not  a 
big  enough  supply  of  films  for  children  being 
turned  out.  There  are  something  like  one 
hundred  photoplays  produced  each  week. 
These  are  of  all  descriptions  and  lengths, 
but  the  number  fit  to  show  children  is 
pitiably  small.  The  majority  are  quite  in 
order  for  grown-ups,  who  are  not  at  all 
impressed  by  viewing  robberies,  murders, 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

cases  of  drunkenness  and  divorces,  abduc- 
tion of  girls,  saloon  and  cafe  scenes,  and 
exaggerated  love  affairs. 

The  censorship  boards  that  have  sprung 
up  all  over  the  country  have  sought  to 
eliminate  these.  In  so  doing  they  have  not 
had  a  grain  of  common  sense.  These  are 
the  facts  of  life,  and  are  necessary  vehicles 
by  which  to  point  out  a  moral.  Let  the 
producers  turn  out  films  expressly  for  chil- 
dren as  well  as  for  adults  and  the  censor- 
ship boards  judge  them  by  the  two  stand- 
ards, and  then  they  will  be  doing  the  right 
thing. 

Why  haven't  the  film  producers  already 
catered  for  the  children?  The  fault,  how- 
ever, mainly  rests  with  the  exhibitors,  for 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  former  to  study  the 
needs  of  the  latter.  They  frequently  ask, 
in  their  printed  matter  which  they  issue  to 
exhibitors,  just  what  kind  of  films  they  pre- 
fer, and  they  are  thus  able  to  gauge  the 
requirements  of  the  majority.  In  no  instance 
I  know  of  has  there  been  an  overwhelming 
number  in  favor  of  films  for  children.  It  is 
only  recently  that  special  performances  for 
children  have  been  inaugurated  by  progress- 
ive exhibitors.  The  Strand  Theater  in  New 
90 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

York  City,  the  finest  in  the  world,  provides 
morning  entertainments  for  youngsters  on 
Saturday,  and  its  example  should  be  emu- 
lated by  every  exhibitor  in  this  country. 

The  producers  receive  occasional  re- 
quests from  mothers,  calling  for  improve- 
ments in  photoplays  for  children,  but  it  can 
not  be  expected  that  they  can  act  on  same, 
when  it  is  considered  that  there  are  twenty 
thousand  motion-picture  theaters  in  this 
country,  which  are  patronized  by  millions 
weekly. 

If  this  reform  idea  is  to  be  carried  out, 
it  must  be  done  by  every  woman  who  has 
the  welfare  of  her  children  at  heart,  right 
now,  and  in  collaboration  with  the  exhibitors 
in  her  community.  Unity  is  strength,  and  I 
would  suggest  that  a  petition  be  got  up  by 
each  mothers'  club,  signed  by  the  members 
and  the  exhibitor  whose  co-operation  they 
have  secured.  The  petitions  should  be 
couched  along  common-sense  lines,  using  the 
statements  and  arguments  in  this  chapter  as 
the  basis.  Increased  production  of  fairy 
stories,  refined  comedies  in  which  children 
are  featured,  and  educationals  of  all  kinds, 
should  be  advocated.  If  this  is  done,  the 
exhibitor  will  agree  to  run  those  films  that 
91 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

conform  with  the  standard  set,  while  the 
mothers,  both  individually  and  in  co-oper- 
ation with  the  club,  will  do  everything  in 
their  power  to  make  such  shows  and  films 
a  success. 

There  are  two  things  to  be  considered 
in  the  meantime;  namely,  roping  in  the 
wavering  exhibitor  and  permitting  children 
to  attend  the  theaters  as  they  are  to-day. 

The  exhibitor  has  pinned  his  faith  so 
long  to  the  ordinary  shows  that  he  is  rather 
reluctant  to  experiment  on  special  perform- 
ances for  children  or  erect  theaters  exclu- 
sively for  them,  but  much  can  be  done  by 
united  action. 

It  is,  however,  a  grave  action  to  bar  the 
children  from  attending  motion-picture 
theaters  altogether.  They  save  them  from 
getting  into  mischief  in  the  streets. 

There  are,  it  should  also  be  remem- 
bered, good  and  bad  photoplays  as  there 
are  everything  else,  some  of  the  latter  run- 
ning close  to  the  knuckle.  In  communities 
there  are  exhibitors  who  are  not  overpar- 
ticular what  they  show  so  long  as  they  can 
get  the  crowds  in.  They  often  frame  their 
advertising  so  as  to  appeal  to  the  morbid 
and  suggestive  minded. 

92 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  best  way  to  start  out  is  to  question 
children  in  regard  to  the  classes  of  motion 
pictures  they  prefer.  If  these  include  Wild 
West  plays,  detective  dramas  and  those 
dealing  with  the  shady  sides  of  domestic 
life,  then  it  is  up  to  the  mother  to  poison 
his  or  her  mind  against  them. 

After  this,  select  the  high-class  theaters 
in  your  locality,  and  then  only  permit  one's 
offspring  to  attend  when  they  have  desirable 
pictures.  I  do  not  think  it  advisable  to 
permit  a  child  to  go  unchaperoned,  as  there 
is  a  great  temptation  to  favor  the  undesir- 
able shows. 

The  Parent-teacher  Association  of  Mis- 
souri expects,  on  Friday  and  Saturday  eve- 
nings, when  the  children  attend  in  large 
numbers,  the  theaters  to  exercise  greater 
care  in  selecting  the  programs.  When  the 
parents  in  the  audience  see  a  photoplay 
which  is  not  up  to  the  standard  set,  they 
have  the  name  of  it  published.  They  con- 
sider this  sufficient  without  announcing  the 
name  of  the  theater  showing  it. 

The  Minnesota  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs  in  St.  Paul  is  now  securing  the  co-op- 
eration of  its  members  who  attend  the 
theaters  in  their  localities,  to  report  upon 
93 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  motion  pictures  shown.  Using  this  as 
their  evidence,  they  prevail  upon  the  exhib- 
itors to  co-operate  with  them.  They  offer, 
in  return,  to  boost  their  theaters  to  the 
members,  local  schools,  settlements,  associa- 
tions, women's  clubs  and  children. 

In  Louisville  a  Censorship  Board  for 
Children  has  been  inaugurated.  To  show 
that  they  mean  business,  a  constitution  has 
been  formed  and  passed.  This  is  to  the 
effect  that  at  children's  performances  only 
approved  films  shall  be  shown,  while  their 
efforts  are  directed  in  co-operating  with  the 
producers  in  turning  out  films  expressly  for 
children. 

The  official  board  has  been  divided  up 
into  four  committees.  The  Scenario  Com- 
mittee is  for  the  purpose  of  advocating 
photoplay  writing  in  the  territory  and  to 
aid  writers  by  reading  scenarios.  If  they 
deem  a  story  worthy  enough  to  be  shown 
to  children,  they  pass  it  along  to  J.  J.  Mur- 
dock,  the  executive  manager  of  the  Keith 
circuit,  who  places  it  with  one  of  the  pro- 
ducing concerns. 

The  business  of  the  Library  Committee 
lies  in  getting  children  to  know  and  appre- 
ciate those  films  approved  by  the  board. 

94 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  Parent-teacher  Committee  has  been 
formed  to  arrange  with  the  numerous  Par- 
ent-teacher Associations  in  Louisville  for 
the  formation  of  special  motion-picture  com- 
mittees. The  work  of  the  latter  is  to  per- 
suade both  parents  and  teachers  to  become 
supporters.  There  is  also  a  Publicity  Com- 
mittee. 

By  working  along  these  lines,  thei 
mothers  of  the  nation  can  accomplish  some 
really  good  work  without  seriously  harass- 
ing the  exhibitor  or  producer. 


95 


XX 

MOTION  PICTURES  THAT  CHILDREN 
LIKE 

IT  is  not  hard  to  understand  why  so  many 
*  movements  afoot  for  the  solving  of  the 
child  motion-picture  problem  have  failed. 
It  is  one  thing  to  place  a  program  of  films 
before  a  bunch  of  red-blooded  American 
youngsters,  and  another  thing  altogether 
to  please  them. 

Most  of  the  folk  identified  with  the 
uplift  movement  have  taken  a  directly  oppo- 
site course,  while,  had  they  adopted  the 
middle  one,  they  would  have  had  results  to 
show  for  their  efforts.  They  have,  for  the 
most  part,  demonstrated  no  intelligence  at 
all  in  the  all-important  matter  of  the  selec- 
tion of  suitable  pictures. 

The  usual  course  pursued  has  been  to 
eliminate  all  comedy  and  dramatic  photo- 
plays, and  never  was  there  a  greater  mistake 
made.  The  business  man  does  not  permit 
work  to  occupy  all  his  waking  hours;  he 
96 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

gets  relaxation  in  some  form  or  another. 
The  same  applies  to  children,  who  attend 
the  motion-picture  theater  to  be  entertained 
and  amused. 

I  am  prepared  to  admit  that  the  film 
comedy  is  the  weakest  link  in  the  industry. 
So  many  insipid  productions,  teeming  with 
vulgar  incidents,  are  produced,  that  the 
desirable  ones  are  hopelessly  in  the  minority. 
Crime  is  often  made  the  subject  of  bur- 
lesque, and  we  must  also  consider  those 
films  which  are  above  the  heads  of  children. 

But  youngsters  want  to  be  made  to 
laugh.  To  quote  Miss  C.  B.  Watkins,  of 
the  women's  clubs  of  the  Eighth  Minnesota 
District:  "Do  not  eliminate  fun  if  it  be 
clean.  A  good  laugh  always  does  a  lot  of 
good." 

Or,  as  a  girl  phrased  it:  "One  afternoon 
I  went  to  the  friendly  house,  and  when  I 
came  out  I  was  sick  to  my  stomach,  I  had 
laughed  so  much." 

If  any  one  doubts  the  effect  of  a  comedy 
on  children,  he  should  attend  a  motion-pic- 
ture matinee  and  listen  to  the  peals  of 
healthy  laughter  when  a  really  funny  picture 
is  occupying  the  screen. 

In  the  desirable  class  I  would  include 
97 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

comedies  in  which  children  are  featured, 
cartoons  a  la  newspaper  comic  section;  in 
brief,  those  presenting  wholesome  humor. 

The  dramatic  photoplay  has  come  in 
for  more  criticism  than  any  other  class  of 
picture,  yet  nine  out  of  ten  youngsters  evince 
a  genuine  admiration  for  same.  Naturally, 
the  dime-novel  type  of  film  is  far  from 
desirable,  but  there  are  many  dramatic 
subjects  that  possess  excellent  qualities  for 
juvenile  audiences.  To  sift  the  good  from 
the  bad  is  not  an  easy  task,  and  Miss  C.  B. 
Watkins'  analysis  is  as  good  as  any: 

"The  actual  act  of  a  murder  is  seldom 
thrown  on  the  screen,  but  portrayal  of  the 
following  crimes  is  common: 

"Instigation  by  bribery  to  commit  mur- 
der or  other  crime.  This  is  much  more 
insidious  to  the  morals  than  an  act  of 
violence,  whose  very  nature  repels;  kidnap- 
ping and  assault,  especially  upon  young 
girls;  hold-ups;  the  destruction  of  buildings 
by  the  use  of  bombs;  the  enticement  of 
girls  for  immoral  purposes. 

"It  seems  to  us  that  a  safe  rule  to 
follow  is  this: 

"Eliminate  scenes  which  the  child  is 
unlikely  to  see  in  every-day  life,  if  they  take 

98 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

a  trend  you  do  not  wish  his  thought  to  take. 

"The  elimination  of  sights  with  which 
all  children  are  familiar  in  every-day  life 
is  unnecessary,  for  instance: 

"Do  not  condemn  a  scene  because  some 
man  in  it  happens  to  be  smoking.  This  is 
going  too  far.  The  fact  of  the  smoking  is 
incidental  and  the  act  is  familiar,  and  there- 
fore does  not  impress  the  youth  one  way  or 
another. 

"I  should  also  add  the  play  which  over- 
stimulates  the  imagination  by  exaggerated 
dangers  and  adventures.  Such  plays  are 
unwholesome.  I  should  add,  in  conclusion, 
another  film — the  one  that  holds  up  to 
admiration  the  silly  flirtation  heroine.  The 
moving-picture  heroine  can  act  like  a  lady, 
and  frequently  does,  without  losing  any  of 
her  charms.  Our  girls  mold  their  ideals  by 
the  plays  they  see,  the  books  they  read  and 
the  people  they  admire.  Let  us  put  examples 
of  right  conduct  before  them." 

Now  for  the  viewpoint  of  the  child.  I 
questioned  a  number  of  boys,  and  all  unani- 
mously declared  in  favor  of  the  Western 
drama,  because  of  the  pretty  scenery  and 
thrills. 

These  selfsame  youngsters  will  not  be 
99 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

slow  in  hissing  the  villain  when  he  gets  the 
best  of  it,  and  when  the  hero  comes  to  the 
rescue  they  applaud  loudly.  Thus  do  they 
realize  the  difference  between  vice  and 
virtue. 

Nothing  pleases  youngsters  more  than 
to  be  transported  from  the  every-day  world, 
and  the  further  they  can  delve  into  romance 
the  better  they  like  it.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  fairy  stories  prove  so  popular.  Show 
them  "The  Sleeping  Beauty,"  "Hansel  and 
Grettel,"  "Golden  Lock,"  "Three  Wishes," 
"Aladdin  and  His  Wonderful  Lamp,"  "Lit- 
tle Red  Riding-hood,"  "Jack  and  the  Bean- 
stalk" and  "Cinderella,"  all  of  which  have 
been  filmed,  and  their  little  hearts  will 
nutter  with  joy. 

There  are  educationals  and  educationals. 
I  happened  to  know  of  a  body  in  Chicago 
who  tried  out  the  wrong  kind.  The  sub- 
jects were  too  deep,  dealing  as  they  did 
with  microscopic  natural-history  subjects, 
such  as  the  dining  habits  of  caterpillars  and 
the  metamorphosis  of  a  butterfly.  Although 
no  admission  fee  was  charged,  one  small 
boy  confessed  he  would  rather  pay  a  nickel 
in  order  to  see  interesting  pictures. 

Educationals  like  "Wild  Birds  in  Their 

100 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Haunts,"  "Lady  of  the  Lake,"  "Panama 
Canal,"  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  "The  Decla- 
ration of  Independence,"  "Yellowstone 
Park"  and  "How  Plants  Grow"  possess 
genuine  entertainment  qualities,  and  do  not 
make  the  child  feel  as  though  the  educa- 
tional element  is  being  forced  down  his 
throat. 


101 


XXI 

THE  MOTION-PICTURE  POSTER  MENACE 

'  I  'HE  plea  for  better  motion  pictures 
*•  should  be  extended  to  posters.  This 
struck  right  home  recently,  for  I  have  a 
married  friend  who,  preferring  to  act  as 
her  own  censor,  always  accompanies  her 
children  when  they  attend  a  motion-picture 
theater.  Not  because  the  law  in  New  York 
forbids  children  under  the  age  of  sixteen 
being  admitted  without  a  parent  or  guardian, 
but  owing  to  the  fact  that  her  offspring  can 
not  be  trusted  to  keep  away  from  undesir- 
able shows.  All  a  child  has  to  do  to  evade 
the  law  is  to  wait  in  the  lobby  for  some  not 
overparticular  senior  to  take  him  in. 

Before  the  mother  had  taken  this  neces- 
sary precaution  her  youngsters  had  gotten 
into  the  habit  of  attending  any  motion-pic- 
ture show  that  appealed  to  them.  It  was 
hard  to  get  them  to  distinguish  between 
right  and  wrong,  so  it  came  about  that  they 
were  fed  on  a  photoplay  diet  of  blood- 

102 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

curdling  melodramas  and  suggestive  com- 
edies. 

We  knew  that  this  was  the  case,  because 
one  day  Will  attempted  to  choke  Alice, 
trussed  her  up  like  a  barnyard  chicken,  and 
forced  her  to  lie  in  the  same  position  for 
hours.  When  their  mother  superintended 
their  motion-picture  visits,  this  sort  of  thing 
stopped  for  awhile. 

One  sunny  Saturday  Will  joined  a  picnic 
party,  one  of  whom,  a  little  girl,  fell  into 
the  lake.  She  was  rescued  by  a  young  man, 
who  was  unable  to  restore  her  to  conscious- 
ness. Will,  however,  applied  first  aid  and 
revived  her,  and  when  we  learned  of  his 
good  deed  we  asked  him  how  it  was  he  had 
a  knowledge  of  first  aid. 

"Oh,  I  saw  it  done  at  the  movies,"  was 
Will's  prompt  explanation,  which  went  to 
prove  that  if  the  right  kind  of  pictures  is 
shown,  only  good  can  result. 

Shortly  after  this  incident,  Will  dug  a 
pit  in  the  garden  and  was  only  prevented 
in  the  nick  of  time  from  covering  Alice  with 
earth. 

The  next  day  Will's  mother  was  passing 
one  of  the  nickeldromes  she  had  banned, 
and  noticed  a  group  of  children  glancing  at 
103 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  sensational  posters.  Among  the  young- 
sters was  her  Will,  and,  as  she  discovered 
his  source  of  inspiration,  she  promptly 
placed  the  theater  out  of  bounds. 

What  posters  are  fit  for  children  to  see? 
I  consider  these  to  be  artistic  creations,  con- 
taining nothing  sensational  or  suggestive. 
Perhaps  the  best  method  is  that  adopted  by 
one  of  the  leading  photoplay-producing  con- 
cerns, whose  posters  comprise  several  well- 
balanced  photographs  of  the  leading  scenes, 
with  an  appropriate  border. 

The  better-class  theaters,  however,  rely 
mostly  upon  a  lobby  display  of  stills;  that 
is,  photographs  taken  when  the  photoplay 
was  put  on. 

A  photograph  can  not  lie,  but  the  poster 
artist  may  permit  his  imagination  to  run 
riot  and  misrepresent  a  perfectly  desirable 
production. 


104 


XXII 

CAPITALIZING  NOTORIETY  IN  MOTION 
PICTURES 

I  WOULD  be  among  the  first  to  complain 
were  the  photoplay  director  to  discard 
his  excellent  "realism  first"  slogan,  but,  like 
a  good  many  other  things,  this  (the  photo- 
play's greatest  asset)  is  at  times  sadly 
abused. 

What  is  the  dividing-line  between  real- 
ism and  over-realism?  In  my  opinion,  it  is 
perfectly  proper  for  a  director  to  stage  an 
elaborate  train  wreck,  because  such  an  inci- 
dent is  liable  to  happen  in  real  life  and  only 
the  question  of  dollars  is  involved.  But 
once  he  causes  the  hero  to  make  a  parachute 
leap  from  the  top  of  the  Statue  of  Liberty 
to  the  icy  depths  of  the  Hudson  below,  a 
human  life  is  placed  in  danger. 

We  fans  do  not  care  for  sensation  for 
sensation's  sake  alone.  We  certainly  admire 
the  heroic  deeds  of  the  performers,  but  we 
do  not  like  to  see  them  carried  to  excess. 

105 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

We  can  shut  our  eyes  to  a  faked  effect,  but 
each  director  seems  to  try  to  outdo  the  other 
in  putting  over  hair-raising  feats.  Why  do 
they  do  it? 

You  do  not  find  Mary  Pickford,  Lillian 
Walker,  or  like  well-known  players,  asso- 
ciated with  much  daredeviltry.  The  truth  is 
that  the  performers  who  take  these  chances 
are  not  actors  at  all;  they  are  merely  acro- 
bats. 

For  a  fee  these  "doubles,"  in  which 
capacity  they  usually  act,  will  carry  out 
practically  any  stunt.  They  do  not  care  a 
jot  for  police  interference;  in  fact,  they 
relish  it  because  of  the  publicity — publicity 
of  the  kind  which  reflects  discredit  on  the 
motion-picture  industry.  One  performer 
who  made  a  dive  from  Brooklyn  Bridge 
was  rescued  from  the  North  River  by  a 
police  squad  in  boats.  He  was  arrested  and 
charged  with  disorderly  conduct. 

These  stunts  are  not  carried  off  without 
personal  injury;  indeed,  sometimes  death 
results.  But  once  they  have  recovered,  they 
are  off  for  adventures  new. 

It  was  only  by  a  miracle  that  one  of 
these  daredevils  was  saved  from  certain 
death  in  endeavoring  to  travel  through  the 
106 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Whirlpool  Rapids,  near  Niagara  Falls.  He 
steered  over  the  gorge  safely,  but  when  he 
arrived  at  the  outer  edge  of  the  Whirlpool 
his  engine  refused  to  work.  For  five  hours 
he  drifted  around  in  the  treacherous  waters, 
fearing  that  every  moment  would  prove  his 
last.  The  boat  began  to  leak,  and  it  was 
dark  before  the  searchers,  with  powerful 
searchlights,  brought  him  safely  to  land. 

I  know  of  a  man  who,  for  a  substantial 
fee,  was  willing  to  leap  from  the  Eiffel 
Tower  in  Paris.  When  the  time  came,  he 
found  his  parachute  was  not  in  good  shape, 
and  wanted  to  give  up  the  stunt.  The 
director,  however,  would  accept  no  excuse, 
so  the  man  made  the  leap  at  a  fearful  pace, 
which  resulted  in  his  death.  The  camera 
man  actually  recorded  his  mangled  remains 
for  insertion  in  the  film. 

What  effect  do  these  films  have  on  the 
morbid-minded?  One  film  company  recently 
received  a  letter  from  an  ambitious  actor 
who  was  willing  to  leap  from  the  tower  of 
the  Woolworth  Building. 

Unfortunately,   there   is   a   darker   side. 

A  Philadelphia  man,  inspired  to  emulate  the 

movie  feats  he  had  seen,  and  obsessed  by  the 

desire  to  have  his  accomplishment  brought 

107 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

to  the  notice  of  producers,  plunged  from  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge.  His  dive — 216  feet — 
was  a  record  one,  but  before  attempting  it 
he  told  his  wife  and  friends  of  his  intention. 
At  first  it  seemed  as  though  his  plan  would 
be  interfered  with,  for,  when  he  stood  in 
the  center  of  the  main  span,  two  policemen 
rushed  to  stop  him.  The  man,  however, 
climbed  up  one  of  the  cables,  from  which 
position  he  made  his  dive.  His  dead  body 
was  recovered  from  the  river  several  days 
later. 

Another  kind  of  notoriety  is  employing 
the  motion  picture  to  exploit  actual  criminal 
cases.  Suppose  some  crook  or  burglar  is 
the  talk  of  the  hour.  He  will  doubtless  be 
persuaded  by  some  unscrupulous  film  pro- 
ducer, for  a  consideration,  to  re-enact  his 
crime  for  the  film.  The  criminal  hopes  to 
influence  public  opinion,  while  the  fly-by- 
night  producer  thinks  only  about  piling  up 
his  bank  roll. 

Sometimes  the  boot  is  on  the  other  foot. 
This  occurred  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Florence 
Carmen.  Her  trial  expenses  amounted  to 
$20,000,  so  somebody  spread  the  report 
that  she  intended  to  portray  the  Bailey 
tragedy  in  a  film. 

108 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

When  asked  for  her  reasons  against 
appearing  in  vaudeville,  Mrs.  Carmen 
stated  it  was  cheap  and  sensational,  but  she 
had  sufficient  good  taste  not  to  want  to 
re-enact  her  crime  on  the  film.  Her  ambi- 
tion, she  admitted,  was  to  appear  in  a 
society  role.  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  no 
motion-picture  producer  came  forward  with, 
a  contract. 

Some  time  ago  a  particularly  unpleasant 
divorce  case  created  a  sensation  in  New 
Jersey.  Corine,  the  wife,  not  only  divorced 
her  husband,  Frank  Hallack,  without  a 
motive,  but  also  had  him  put  in  jail.  Frank 
Hallack,  to  prove  his  innocence,  declared  at 
the  time  that  he  will  be  starred  in  a  photo- 
play entitled  "Trapped,"  which  will  depict 
everything  from  the  time  he  met  his  wife 
until  she  divorced  him. 

Another  way  by  which  producers  some- 
times turn  notoriety  to  profitable  account  is 
by  putting  on  a  photoplay  after  a  sensational 
crime  has  been  committed.  The  story  of 
this  is  so  much  like  the  actual  case  that 
were  the  names  of  the  characters  not 
changed  you  would  take  it  to  be  a  repro- 
duction of  the  crime  itself. 

An  instance  of  this  took  place  with  the 
109 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Frank  case,  when  a  producer  re-enacted  the 
lynching  details  in  a  film.  Fortunately, 
however,  the  censorship  boards  in  many 
cities  prevented  the  picture  being  shown  for 
public  exhibition. 

Do  the  exhibitors  believe  in  pandering 
to  morbid  minds?  No,  emphatically  no,  so 
far  as  the  majority  are  concerned,  for  they 
have  no  desire  to  see  the  motion  picture 
stoop  so  low. 

We  go  to  the  motion-picture  theater  in 
quest  of  wholesome  entertainment,  not  to 
revel  in  the  tragedies  of  the  every-day 
world.  We  get  enough  of  these  served  up 
in  the  newspapers,  so  we  are  offended  when 
they  do  succeed  in  gaining  admittance  to 
the  screen. 

The  menace  comes  from  the  mushroom 
concerns,  who  aim  to  make  easy  money  on 
opportune  occasions,  so  it  is  well  that  we 
have  producers,  censors  and  exhibitors  who 
have  ideals. 

The  efforts  of  these  concerns  are  not 
sufficient  to  do  the  industry  an  appreciable 
amount  of  harm,  and  I  should  not  be  sur- 
prised if  the  censorship  boards  throughout 
the  country  unanimously  agree  to  taboo  films 
of  this  kind. 

no 


XXIII 

THE  PHOTOPLAY  THEATER  CRYING- 
BABY  PROBLEM 

"\Y7HO  has  not,  during  an  intensely  dra- 
*^  matic  moment  in  a  photoplay,  been 
suddenly  reminded  of  the  cold  realities  of 
life — all  on  account  of  a  crying  baby?  Of 
course  the  mother  strives  her  best  to  calm 
it,  but,  having  again  settled  down  to  enjoy 
the  picture,  you  hear  those  annoying  sounds 
for  the  second,  or  possibly  third,  time. 

A  crying  baby  in  the  photoplay  theater 
is  a  pest;  a  pest  because  the  very  thing  you 
visit  it  for — entertainment — is  nipped  in  the 
bud.  It  is  certainly  true  you  do  not  have 
to  listen  to  the  players,  as  in  the  case  of  a 
vaudeville  show  or  a  stage  play,  but  a  crying 
baby,  nevertheless,  does  distract  your  atten- 
tion from  the  white  screen. 

The  mother  or  guardian  is  not  wholly 
to  blame.  As  likely  ~as  not,  there  is  no  one 
at  home  when  she  feels  she  needs  relax- 
ation, and  if  the  parent  is  not  to  be  deprived 

8  111 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

of  the  pleasures  she  has  more  than  earned, 
there  is  but  one  alternative — to  take  the 
baby  with  her. 

A  child  in  arms  can  understand  the  pic- 
tures; a  baby  in  arms  can  not,  so  it  is  super- 
fluous to  consider  the  character  of  the  pro- 
grams shown.  The  baby's  feeble  mind  fails 
to  understand  what  is  taking  place  on  the 
screen  in  front  of  him,  and,  as  the  mother 
endeavors  to  follow  the  picture,  her  off- 
spring becomes  restless  and  commences  to 
cry.  The  wise  mother  will  coax  the  baby 
to  keep  quiet,  by  all  the  resources  known  to 
her,  but  she  is,  after  all,  but  human.  If  the 
baby  persists  in  crying,  she  realizes  that  the 
pleasure  of  her  neighbors  is  being  spoiled, 
and  consequently  leaves  the  theater. 

Why  should  spectators  endure  scream- 
ing babies?  And  why  should  the  mother 
be  practically  compelled  to  leave  the  show 
before  she  has  seen  it  through? 

We  now  come  to  the  fountainhead — the 
exhibitor — who  has  in  his  hands  the  solu- 
tions to  both  problems.  Since  the  decline  of 
the  nickeldrome  many  high-grade  theaters 
have  been  opened.  The  program  is  not  all 
when  from  a  dime  to  a  quarter  is  paid  for 
entertainment — we  expect  some  comforts 
112 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

thrown  in.  Many  theaters  end  with  a 
retiring-room  each  for  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
To  the  unencumbered  parent  this  adequately 
fills  the  need,  but  the  mother  in  charge  of  a 
crying  baby  can  not  leave  the  baby  to  take 
care  of  itself. 

In  the  Bronx  district  of  New  York  City 
is  a  motion-picture  theater  which  possesses 
a  nursery.  A  trained  nurse  is  in  charge, 
and  every  mother  on  entering  has  the  option 
of  leaving  her  baby  in  the  nurse's  care. 
Should  the  baby  prove  beyond  the  control 
of  the  latter,  a  slide  is  projected  on  the 
screen  to  the  effect  that  the  mother  is 
wanted  in  the  nursery.  There  is  little 
chance  of  a  baby  becoming  discontented, 
for  there  is  a  sand-pile,  swings,  rocking- 
horses,  low  chairs  and  a  crib. 

Such  an  annex  is  required  in  every 
modern  photoplay  theater,  and  the  expense 
would  well  repay  the  exhibitor,  because 
many  mothers  prefer  to  keep  away  from 
the  movies  rather  than  be  burdened  with  a 
troublesome  baby. 


113 


XXIV 

OPERA  ON  THE  FILM 

*  I  *HE  invasion  of  opera  in  the  photoplay 
•*•  world  is  not  exactly  new — it  has  been 
steadily  pushing  its  way  to  the  fore  since 
1913.  In  that  year,  when  in  London,  I  well 
remember  attending  a  demonstration  of 
kine-opera,  the  invention  of  Mr.  de  Caro, 
who  succeeded  in  synchronizing  human 
voices  with  the  movements  of  the  pictures. 
Many  opera  artists  from  the  Scala,  Milan; 
the  Imperial  Opera-house,  St.  Petersburg, 
and  the  Metropolitan  Opera-house,  New 
York,  were  seen  singing  well-known  extracts 
from  famous  works.  The  scenes  that  the 
artists  appeared  in  were  elaborately  staged, 
while  there  were  both  a  chorus  and  orches- 
tra to  support  the  principals. 

It  was  anticipated  that  Edison's  inven- 
tion, the  kinetophone,  would  make  grand 
opera  possible,  but  it  did  not  record  in  a 
natural  tone  or  manner  what  the  players 
said,  as  was  anticipated. 

114 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

In  1913  the  Thanhouser  Company  filmed 
"Tannhauser."  The  famous  opera  rather 
lacked  incident,  but  was  not  in  any  way 
lacking  in  interest.  The  picture,  with  its 
lovely  backgrounds  and  beautiful  photog- 
raphy, was  one  of  great  artistic  beauty. 
Miss  Florence  La  Badie  was  captivating  as 
"Venus." 

"Carmen"  was  first  done  as  a  three-reel 
subject  in  1913  by  the  Thanhouser  Com- 
pany. The  story  was  one  that  lent  itself 
to  filming  purposes,  and  the  director  neg- 
lected few  opportunities.  Marguerite  Snow 
made  an  enticing  "Carmen." 

The  Cines  Company's  version  of  "Car- 
men," produced  in  1914,  with  Marguerite 
Sylva  in  the  title  role,  was  based  on  the 
book.  The  players  traveled  from  Rome  to 
Spain  in  order  to  obtain  the  necessary  Span- 
ish atmosphere,  but  the  war  delayed  the 
release  of  same.  It  could  not  be  shown  in 
France  because  the  rights  to  "Carmen" 
belong  to  the  Opera  Comique,  and  one  of 
the  negatives  was  lost  on  the  "Ancona" 
when  on  its  way  to  America. 

The  year  1915  saw  the  Lasky  and  Fox 
forces  at  work.  The  former  captured 
Geraldine  Farrar  at  a  salary  unprecedented 
115 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

in  the  history  of  motion  pictures.  Her  per- 
formance was  characterized  by  realism. 
She  imbibed  the  true  spirit  of  the  title  role, 
and  when  she  returned  to  the  Metropolitan 
Opera-house  she  surprised  Caruso  by  her 
roughness.  That  slap  on  the  face  momen- 
tarily stunned  her  famous  partner,  who, 
during  the  third-act  fight  scene,  found  Miss 
Farrar  none  too  ladylike.  She  attacked  him 
with  such  vigor  that  he  had  his  work  cut 
out  to  protect  himself. 

At  the  end  of  the  embrace,  Caruso,  to 
get  even,  allowed  "Carmen"  to  suddenly 
slip  from  his  hands,  resulting  in  her  falling 
down.  After  the  performance  Miss  Farrar 
and  Caruso  exchanged  some  hard  words. 
Caruso  pointed  out  that  she  was  not  in  the 
movies,  whereupon  Miss  Farrar  suggested 
that  he  get  another  "Carmen."  To  this 
Caruso  courteously  replied  that  a  repetition 
of  the  performance  could  be  prevented  by 
getting  another  "Don  Jose." 

The  Spanish  atmosphere  was  obtained 
in  Los  Angeles,  where  the  bull-fight  was 
staged  before  an  audience  of  twenty  thou- 
sand, permission  first  being  obtained  from 
the  city  government.  Twenty  professionals, 
Mexican  matadors  and  bulls  imported  from 
116 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  famous  Madero  ranch  in  Mexico  added 
the  desired  finishing  touches  to  a  realistic 
production. 

"Carmen"  was  first  shown  in  Boston  to 
humor  Geraldine  Farrar,  who  is  a  native 
of  that  city.  But  it  meant  another  con- 
quest for  the  photoplay,  since  Boston's 
famous  home  of  music — the  Symphony  Hall 
— was  acquired.  This  was  the  first  time 
that  photoplays  were  exhibited  there.  Miss 
Farrar  attended  the  premiere  performance, 
an  orchestra  of  sixty  accompanying  the 
picture. 

"Carmen"  might  have  been  written  for 
Theda  Bara,  for  she  certainly  knew  how  to 
"vamp"  in  the  Fox  version,  when  her  Rus- 
sian-French-Italian ancestry  stood  her  in 
good  stead.  The  picture  was  staged  in  New 
Jersey,  where  typical  Spanish  buildings  were 
erected,  and  populated  by  about  five  hundred 
carefully  selected  Italians. 

Unlike  many  of  her  sister  players, 
Madame  Anne  Pavlova  did  not  journey  to 
California  in  state.  The  Universal  Com- 
pany took  the  studio  to  her  when  she  made 
her  debut  in  "The  Dumb  Girt  of  Portici," 
an  adaptation  from  "Masaniello,"  Auber's 
famous  opera. 

117 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Pavlova  and  her  company  were  playing 
at  the  Midway  Gardens,  Chicago,  during 
July,  1915,  and  Pavlova  simply  journeyed, 
every  afternoon,  to  Sans  Sonio  Park,  near 
where  a  temporary  studio  had  been  put  up. 
This  enabled  her  to  perform  her  regular 
ballet  engagements  without  interference.  At 
the  end  of  her  Chicago  engagement,  how- 
ever, the  lure  of  California  proved  too 
strong  and  she  traveled  in  a  special  train 
to  Universal  City  in  order  to  do  the  exteri- 
ors. Lois  Weber,  the  director,  could  not 
have  possibly  selected  a  more  suitable 
vehicle  for  Mme.  Pavlova's  peculiar  talents, 
while  the  direction  was  admirable. 

Pavlova  was  not  satisfied  with  several 
of  the  dancing  scenes,  and  it  was  at  her 
suggestion  that  they  were  retaken  in  New 
York.  Even  then,  the  dancer  had  to  travel 
from  Boston.  On  this  occasion  she  objected 
to  a  red-haired  property  man,  whom  she 
considered  a  bad  omen,  and,  bowing  to  her 
whim,  the  director  dismissed  him. 

"The  Dumb  Girl  of  Portici"  was  first 
presented  at  the  Globe  Theater,  New  York. 
On  the  first  night  Mme.  Pavlova  was 
appearing  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  and  was 
advised  of  the  reception  accorded  her  film 
118 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

efforts,  by  a  special  wire  from  the  theater 
to  her  hotel. 

Usually  the  music  is  written  for  the 
photoplay,  but  "The  Fall  of  a  Nation"  was- 
written  for  the  music,  Thomas  Dixon,  the 
author,  even  preparing  a  special  libretto. 
The  original  score  was  entrusted  to  Victor 
Herbert,  who  spent  four  weeks  in  Los 
Angeles  getting  a  large  orchestra  in  shape 
at  the  National  Film  Corporation's  studios. 
Mr.  Herbert  worked  in  the  private  theater, 
and  after  each  reel  had  been  edited  by 
the  cutter,  it  was  run  through  for  his 
benefit. 

Each  scene  was  treated  individually,  yet 
so  skillfully  done  that  the  central  themes 
and  motives  blended  into  a  harmonious 
whole.  Mr.  Herbert  got  away  from  the 
patchwork  idea  entirely. 

"Hundreds  of  music  lovers  have  told 
me,"  said  Mr.  Herbert  in  a  newspaper  inter- 
view, "that  their  pleasure  in  picture  presen- 
tations was  to  a  large  extent  spoiled  by  the 
patchwork  character  of  the  music.  When 
the  orchestra  played,  they  heard  bits  of 
'Faust'  or  'Tannhauser'  or  'Traviata'  or 
'Carmen';  the  hearing  of  the  music  flashed 
pictures  from  those  operas  on  the  minds  of 

119 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  spectators,  and  attention  was  distracted 
from  the  characters  in  the  story." 

How  "La  Boheme"  (Puccini's  opera) 
came  to  be  filmed  is  an  interesting  story  in 
itself.  Alice  Brady  saw  the  spoken  version 
at  the  Metropolitan  Opera-house,  where  she 
met  the  prima  donna  after  the  performance. 
During  their  conversation  Cavelieri  sug- 
gested that  she  appear  as  "Mimi"  in  a 
screen  version  of  same.  Miss  Brady  there- 
upon took  up  the  matter  with  her  director, 
who  decided  upon  Murger's  story  as  her 
next  vehicle. 

Then  Puccini,  the  composer,  threatened 
an  injunction  for  infringement  of  his  rights, 
but  when  the  picture  was  completed,  William 
Brady,  the  producer,  invited  Nathan  Bur- 
kan,  the  composer's  attorney,  and  members 
of  the  Metropolitan  Opera  Company  to 
attend  a  private  exhibition  of  the  produc- 
tion. After  he  had  seen  the  film  Burkan 
declared  it  too  beautiful  to  be  interfered 
with,  and  cabled  Puccini  that  he  was  in 
favor  of  its  being  distributed. 

At  Boston  the  picture  was  given  its  first 
showing  at  the  Park  Theater,  where  Miss 
Brady  sang  for  the  opera  in  connection  with 
same. 

120 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

"Queen  of  the  Roses,"  an  adaptation  of 
Leoncavallo's  opera,  "La  Reginnetta  Delia 
Rose,"  was  given  its  premier  showing  at 
Candler  Theater,  New  York.  The  orches- 
tra of  the  Metropolitan  Opera-house  was 
"raided"  so  as  to  provide  fifty  soloists. 

The  picture  was  produced  in  Italy  with 
an  all-Italian  cast,  and  the  promoters  staked 
more  on  the  music  than  the  picture, 


121 


XXV 

SPIRITUALISM  BY  THE  FILM 

""THE  motion  picture  has  received  but  scant 
•*•  attention  at  the  hands  of  spiritualists. 
This  is  all  the  more  surprising  when,  as  we 
all  know,  trick  movie  camera  work  can  put 
over  some  remarkable  spooky  stunts.  May- 
be the  genuine  spiritualist  has  purposely 
neglected  the  opportunity  because  it  would 
bring  about  even  more  accusations  of 
deliberate  faking. 

However,  about  two  years  ago,  in  Paris, 
spooks  were  experimented  upon  with  a 
motion-picture  camera.  The  medium  em- 
ployed was  a  Frenchwoman,  who,  for  a 
period  covering  four  years,  had  her  seances 
recorded  by  four  cameras,  to  which  she 
could  not  gain  access. 

The  genuineness  of  this  unique  film  was 
proven  by  showing  every  portion  of  the 
cabinet  occupied  by  the  medium,  which 
revealed  that  nothing  was  hidden. 

The  medium  next  entered,  clad  only  in 
122 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

a  tight-fitting,  one-piece  dress.  Her  hands 
and  face  were  the  only  parts  of  her  body 
left  uncovered.  She  then  sat  down  in  the 
cabinet  and  the  curtains  opened  and  closed 
in  turn,  the  hands  being  revealed  all  the 
time. 

After  this  came  the  spook  stunts,  the 
first  of  which  were  many-sized  hands  which 
hovered  over  the  medium's  head. 

Secondly,  shoulders,  heads,  as  well  as 
complete  human  forms,  floated  in  the 
cabinet. 

Then  the  spirit  set  itself  free  from  the 
medium,  moved  about  like  a  snake  and 
disappeared  into  the  medium. 

Baron  Dr.  von  Schrenk-Notzing,  a 
famous  German  authority,  stated  at  the  time 
that  these  tests  satisfied  the  exacting  require- 
ments laid  down  by  science. 

Mr.  J.  N.  Maskelyne,  who  has  amazed 
Britishers  with  his  spook  demonstrations, 
is  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  the  motion- 
picture  camera  can  not  put  over  his  best 
illusions  more  convincingly  than  his  present 
methods. 

I  recall,  in  the  fall  of  1913,  when  in 
London,  seeing  a  photoplay  which  exposed 
the  methods  of  fraudulent  spiritualists.  It 

123 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

was  written  and  produced  in  England  by  a 
recognized  authority  on  spiritualism. 

In  brief,  the  story  told  of  an  heiress  who 
was  puzzled  at  a  supplement  missing  from 
her  father's  will.  She  offers  $25,000  for 
the  lost  codicil. 

A  gang  of  charlatans  get  her  in  their 
power  and  persuade  her  to  go  through  a 
seance.  There  she  is  much  impressed  by 
their  methods,  especially  when  she  sees  the 
spirit  of  her  dead  father  through  the  magic 
crystal.  This  effect  is  produced  by  one  of 
the  gang  making  up  as  the  father. 

When  she  asks  what  is  in  the  codicil  she 
is  advised  to  invest  $25,000  in  the  Motor 
Oil  Company,  a  fake  concern  run  by  the 
crooks. 

What  interested  me  more  than  the  story 
was  the  exposing  of  the  tricks  of  the  trade. 
Little  does  the  medium  know  that  her  hands 
are  tied  in  slip-knots,  or  that  the  lower  of 
the  combined  writing-pads  used  for  record- 
ing the  questions  is  waxed,  the  writing  later 
being  reproduced  on  the  other  side  of  the 
curtain  by  using  the  graphite.  The  answers 
are  written  with  an  electro  magnet. 

But  what  would  surprise  the  medium 
even  worse  would  be  to  learn  that  a  tele- 
124 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

phone  contrivance  is  hidden  in  her  hair. 
This  repeats  everything  to  a  man  at  the 
back  of  the  curtain. 

It  is  only  to  be  expected  that  a  debatable 
production  of  this  character  would  meet 
with  opposition.  The  producers  got  their 
first  taste  of  this  when  a  committee  repre- 
senting the  North  Midlands  District  Union 
of  Spiritualists  called  at  their  offices.  They 
insisted  that  the  production  was  a  direct 
attack  upon  spiritualism  in  general,  whereas 
the  producers  assured  them  that  they  only 
exposed  the  fraudulent  kind. 

The  main  objection  raised  was  the  title, 
"Spiritualism  Exposed."  The  producers 
had  already  printed  all  the  positive  copies 
they  needed  to  fill  orders,  while  the  posters 
to  advertise  same  were  already  in  the  hands 
of  exhibitors,  so  altering  the  title  at  the 
eleventh  hour  would  necessarily  be  an 
expensive  procedure. 

The  company  finally  agreed  to  have 
slips  pasted  over  the  posters,  making  the 
title  read,  "Fraudulent  Spiritualism  Ex- 
posed." 

Whatever  your  views  may  be  on  spirit- 
ualism, when  we  get  down  to  the  domestic 
variety — ghosts — we  are  all  interested. 
125 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

A  French  landlord  had  the  misfortune 
to  own  a  haunted  house  in  a  lonely  part  of 
Lyons.  His  tenants  were  of  the  come-and- 
go  order,  for,  as  soon  as  they  became 
acquainted  with  the  ghost,  which  had  the 
most  unnatural  habit  of  appearing  at  day- 
time in  one  of  the  rooms,  they  moved  else- 
where. This  ghost  was  a  man  so  old  and 
bent  that  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty 
that  he  walked.  He  always  carried  a  lan- 
tern and  had  a  most  pitiful  voice. 

There  came  a  time  when  the  landlord 
had  no  tenants  at  all. 

He  had  what  might  be  called  the  movie 
money-making  instinct.  "What  an  unusual 
subject  for  a  film,"  he  murmured  to  him- 
self. He  soon  got  busy,  but  he  discovered 
that  camera  operators  who  possessed  suffi- 
cient pluck  to  undertake  the  task  were  at  a 
premium. 

At  length,  however,  his  man  came  along 
and  began  his  long  vigil  in  the  haunted 
room.  He  did  this  for  six  days  in  succes- 
sion; still  no  ghost  appeared.  He  quit  on 
the  seventh  day,  when,  strange  to  say,  the 
ghost  was  on  the  job.  Evidently  he  objected 
to  the  widespread  publicity  he  would  obtain 
if  he  posed  for  the  movies! 

126 


XXVI 

BIBLE  STUDY  BY  MOTION  PICTURES 

IS  it  possible  to  study  the  Bible  by  motion 
•*•  pictures?  One's  mind  instantly  turns  to 
such  religious  productions  as  "From  Man- 
ger to  Cross,"  "Samson,"  "Daniel,"  "The 
Star  of  Bethlehem"  and  "Joseph  in  Egypt," 
for  an  answer  to  the  question. 

Biblical  subjects  require  reverent  treat- 
ment, consequently  are  full  of  pitfalls  when 
produced  by  manufacturers  of  modern  com- 
edies and  dramas.  It  must  be  admitted, 
however,  that  there  was  no  opportunity 
for  faultfinding  in  regard  to  "From  Manger 
to  Cross."  This  masterpiece  was  produced 
in  the  Holy  Land,  and,  as  evidence  of  the 
pains  taken,  Sidney  Olcott,  the  director, 
returned  to  America  with  a  letter  from  H. 
H.  el-Hussein,  the  mayor  of  Jerusalem. 
Here  it  is:  "Mr.  Olcott  did  not  spare  any 
effort  to  perform  the  production  of  the  life 
of  Christ  on  the  original  spots  whenever 
possible,  but  in  all  instances  gathered  the 
9  127 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

best. data  and  material  as  well  as  a  most 
competent  personnel  of  artists  to  attain  the 
high  degree  of  efficiency."  The  Turkish 
Government  stamp  proves  the  authenticity 
of  the  letter. 

The  scene  where  our  Lord  takes  the 
cross  to  Calvary,  for  instance,  was  filmed 
on  the  Via  Dolorosa,  the  road  of  sorrows. 
"Christ"  fell  down  exhausted  under  the 
weight  of  the  cross  near  the  convent  of  the 
Sisters  of  St.  Veronica.  This  piece  of  acting 
so  much  affected  the  nuns  who  were  watch- 
ing, that  all  gave  vent  to  weeping,  one 
sister  coming  to  the  rescue  with  wine. 

Many  scenes  were  taken  in  Bethlehem 
and  on  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

"Samson,"  however,  from  a  religious 
standpoint,  was  not  so  successful. 

There  was  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  the 
director  to  appeal  to  depraved  tastes  by 
strongly  emphasizing  Samson's  lower  life, 
while  hardly  touching  upon  his  higher  life. 

It  can  not  be  denied  that  Warren  Kerri- 
gan was  an  ideal  actor  for  the  name  part. 
He  has  the  physique  and  made  the  most  of 
his  limited  opportunities. 

One  wonders  how  Samson  managed  to 
break  the  jaw  of  the  lion  with  his  bare 

128 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

arms,  but,  to  quote  from  "Making  the 
Movies":  "The  director  had  'Jack  of 
Hearts'  handle  the  lion — the  tamest  one  in 
the  zoo — and  then  leave  him.  The  camera 
was  stopped  while  the  lion  was  drugged, 
and,  without  any  apparent  break  in  the  film, 
Warren  was  seen  mastering  the  almost 
unconscious  beast." 

No  fault  could  be  found  with  the  cos- 
tuming or  the  settings,  but  the  temple  scene 
was  a  marvel  of  realism.  The  pillars 
looked  genuine,  and  as  they  are  pulled  over 
one  by  one  by  Samson  in  his  fury,  one 
imagines  the  "crowd"  could  not  have 
escaped  uninjured. 

The  story  was  founded  on  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, the  subtitles  being  quoted  from  the 
Bible. 

In  one  of  the  important  scenes,  at  its 
trial  run  in  the  studio  theater,  appeared 
what  looked  to  be  a  large  bird  above  the 
skyline. 

"What's  that  aeroplane  doing  there  be- 
fore the  time  of  Christ?"  commented  the 
keenest  one  in  the  group. 

The    director's    oversight   had    been    dis- 
covered,   and   it  was   deemed   advisable   to 
retake  the  scene.     That  error  ran  the  com- 
129 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

pany  into  a  nice  extra  sum.  This  instance 
is  worthy  of  mention  as  showing  the  pains 
taken  to  insure  correctness  of  detail. 

Before  Lawrence  Marston  went  ahead 
with  "The  Star  of  Bethlehem"  he  consulted 
several  theologians,  who  helped  him  to 
decide  several  vital  matters.  One  of  these 
was,  "What  did  the  prophet  Micah  look 
like?"  and  he  finally  chose  the  picture  of 
Moses  on  the  mountain.  He  surmounted 
most  other  difficulties  by  following  famous 
paintings. 

"In  assembling  our  'Star  of  Bethlehem' 
characters,"  said  Mr.  Marston,  in  speaking 
of  his  trials,  "the  problem  of  the  age  of 
Herod  confronted  us.  Historical  fact  had 
it  that  he  was  an  old  man,  and  had  it,  too, 
that  he  was  dead  four  years  before  the  birth 
of  the  Redeemer. 

"Again,  in  the  matter  of  the  Wise-men 
the  text  of  Matthew  stated  that  'Herod 
spoke  to  the  Wise-men  privily' — privately. 
It  is  hardly  likely  that  a  monarch  who 
feared  strangers  as  Herod  did  would  have 
received  three  of  them  'privily.' 

"And  so  it  is  that  he  who  produces  a 
picture  on  which  he  must  go  back  into  the 
ages  for  facts,  must  weigh  all  of  them  with 
130 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

common  sense.  The  task  of  the  producer 
of  a  Biblical  story  is  not  an  easy  one,  but  it 
is  interesting  and  gripping  by  reason  of  its 
difficulties.  The  extra  thought  and  care 
one  must  give  to  so  important  an  undertak- 
ing fill  one  with  a  high  sense  of  the  magni- 
tude of  such  a  work." 

"Daniel"  was  a  worth-while  production 
in  every  respect.  The  story  was  written  by 
Madison  C.  Peters,  who  developed  the  char- 
acteristics in  a  praiseworthy  manner. 

Courtenay  Foote  gave  a  dignified  por- 
trayal of  the  younger  Daniel,  while  Charles 
Kent,  as  the  older  Daniel,  was  equally  con- 
vincing. 

The  fiery  furnace  was  erected  after  the 
most  reliable  data  available  were  studied, 
and  when  Shadrach,  Meshach  and  Abed- 
nego  are  seen  stepping  forth  from  the  fiery 
furnace,  not  touched  in  the  least  by  the 
flames,  one  marvels  at  the  director's  skill. 

Another  elaborate  setting  is  "The 
Dream  of  Nebuchadnezzar,"  who  beholds 
the  great  statue  of  gold  and  silver  collapse 
and  break  into  thousands  of  pieces.  The 
statue  was  modeled  in  clay  first  of  all,  then 
cast  in  plaster,  a  half  a  ton  of  which  was 
used.  Gold  and  silver  paint  were  lavished 
131 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

to  give  it  the  finishing  touches,  and,  alto- 
gether, over  $600  was  expended.  The 
statue  stood  to  a  height  of  twenty  feet. 

What  is  the  effect  of  these  productions 
upon  motion-picture  audiences?  Do  they 
impress  them  to  a  favorable  degree? 

To  take  one  case:  When  "From  Man- 
ger to  Cross"  was  shown  at  a  Pontefract 
(England)  motion-picture  theater,  it  at- 
tracted almost  the  entire  population,  and  the 
Rev.  W.  Cell,  the  local  vicar,  took  the 
liberty  of  stepping  to  the  front  of  the  house 
and  calling  upon  the  audience  to  keep  silent 
during  the  projection  of  the  film,  which 
impressed  them  so  much  that  the  vicar 
followed  it  up  with  a  short  prayer  service. 

Dr.  Shriver,  superintendent  of  the  Immi- 
gration Board  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Home  Missions,  visited  a  photoplay  show 
which  had  "Joseph  in  Egypt"  as  its  attrac- 
tion. Among  his  neighbors  were  a  mechanic 
and  his  wife,  who  explained  the  Bible  story 
to  him  during  the  presentation  of  the  pic- 
ture. 

As  Dr.  Brethren  stated:  "Doesn't  that 
carry  home  one  thought  to  you? 

"For  years  you  have  been  trying  to 
interest  the  people  in  the  story  of  Joseph 
132 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

in  Egypt,  bidding  them  to  come  to  our 
churches  to  hear  it  freely.  Here  is  a 
theater  where  people  are  paying  money  to 
see  the  story  truly  and  entertainingly  told. 
I  do  not  propose  to  turn  our  churches  into 
theaters,  but  I  do  call  attention  to  the 
importance  and  value  of  this  unconventional 
method  of  holding  and  interesting  your 
congregations." 

All  that  Dr.  Brethren  says  is  very  true, 
but  the  difficulty  is  to  adopt  his  suggestions, 
for  it  is  only  now  and  then  that  a  Biblical 
picture  is  produced. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  William  Carter,  general 
secretary  of  the  International  Peace  Forum, 
in  addressing  an  audience  of  motion-picture 
men,  said:  "What  could  be  more  dramatic 
than  Elijah  on  Mt.  Carmel  with  the  450  of 
the  prophets  of  Baal,  waiting  for  God's 
answer  by  fire  to  show  the  true  from  the 
false?  What  could  be  more  thrilling  than 
Jezebel  being  thrown  from  a  window  to  the 
dogs  below  for  her  wicked  and  licentious 
folly?  What  could  be  funnier  than  Balaam's 
ass  turning  to  tell  his  master  to  'go  fast,'  or 
Eutychus  falling  asleep  when  Paul  preached 
too  long  a  sermon,  and  falling  out  of  a 
three-story  window,  thereby  breaking  up  the 
133 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

sermon  and  the  congregation  at  the  same 
time? 

"There  is  every  element  of  the  dramatic, 
the  tragic  and  comic  in  these  Bible  stories." 

To-day  is  the  age  of  the  specialist,  and 
t^ere  are  indications  that  several  producers 
will  arise  to  supply  the  present  lack  of 
Bib1'  -1  subjects. 

Already  the  National  Bible  Play  Society 
has  started  work  at  Las  Vegas,  New  Mexico, 
where  the  scenery  resembles  Palestine.  The 
society's  plays  will  be  adapted  from  both 
tr-°  Old  and  New  Testaments,  but  first  the 
scenarios  will  be  passed  by  an  interdenom- 
inational board  of  ministers,  so  as  to  insure 
accuracy.  These  films  will  go  the  rounds  of 
churches  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.'s. 

Frederic  Thompson,  a  well-known  direc- 
tor of  spectacular  photoplays,  provided  he 
obtains  adequate  support,  will  picturize  the 
Bible.  He  states  that  the  undertaking  will 
consume  at  least  eight  years,  involving  an 
enormous  outlay. 

If  the  project  matures,  the  stories  will 
be  selected  by  a  "cabinet"  of  twelve  mem- 
bers, carefully  chosen  from  all  walks  of  life. 
The  players  will  not  be  "starred";  their 
identities  will  be  concealed  because  of  the 
134 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

tendency  to  see  a  picture  for  the  player 
alone. 

Each  picture,  before  released,  will  be 
supervised  by  a  censorship  board  of  one 
hundred  members. 

How  Mr.  Thompson  proposes  these 
films  will  be  used  in  churches  is  that  a  min- 
ister will  need  one  to  illustrate  his  text,  a 
library  being  established  for  this  purpose. 


135 


XXVII 

PUTTING  OVER  SERMONS  IN 
PHOTOPLAYS 

IT  takes  a  long  time  for  anything  to  live 
*  down  its  bad  name,  but  now  the  photo- 
play producers  are  endeavoring  to  break 
away  from  the  unwholesome  type  of  pic- 
ture. It  still  exists,  it  must  be  admitted, 
though  the  reputable  producers,  for  the 
most  part,  possess  ideals.  They  are  not 
only  out  to  entertain  the  masses  with  their 
dramas  in  celluloid,  but  to  make  them  think 
as  well.  How  do  they  accomplish  it,  then? 
Many  young  folks  have  been  inspired 
with  a  determination  to  lead  an  honest,  clean 
life  as  the  direct  outcome  of  a  convincing 
photoplay.  Take,  for  instance,  "The  Blind- 
ness of  Virtue,"  which  shows  how  wrong 
parents  are  in  concealing  the  facts  of  life 
from  their  children.  Many  parents  can  not 
summon  up  sufficient  courage  to  take  their 
offspring  into  their  confidence,  whereas  they 
would  not  object  to  accompanying  their 

136 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

grown-up  son  or  daughter  to  the  local 
motion-picture  theater  showing  the  produc- 
tion. The  subject  is  handled  in  a  delicate 
way  and  removes  the  misunderstanding 
between  parent  and  child. 

"Hypocrites"  is  another  photoplay  of 
great  educational  value. 

What  is  the  difference  between  a  motion- 
picture  sermon  and  one  delivered  from  the 
pulpit?  I  consider  this  is  best  summed  up 
in  the  words  of  Rev.  Dr.  Harry  W.  Jones, 
of  Spanish-American  war  fame.  In  resign- 
ing his  pastorate  in  a  Long  Island  town 
some  time  ago,  he  gave  the  following  expla- 
nation: "I  realized  that  I  was  wasting  my 
time,  for  there  are  living  characters  whose 
actions  as  they  unfolded  their  sublime  story 
were  far  more  important  than  anything  I 
can  say  in  the  pulpit.  A  religious  subject, 
tactfully  and  reverently  treated,  will,  in  my 
opinion,  do  more  to  advance  the  cause  of 
religion  and  uplift  humanity  than  a  thousand 
eloquent  preachers  can  ever  hope  to  accom- 
plish by  their  oratory." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  went 
into  business  as  an  exhibitor  of  educational 
and  religious  films,  drawing  patrons  from 
his  late  congregation. 

137 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Another  thing  about  the  photoplay  ser- 
mon is  that  it  prevents  folks  from  going  to 
sleep,  for  they  have  to  use  their  eyes,  and 
the  sermon  is  so  attractively  presented  that 
the  temptation  is  resisted. 

The  average  churchgoer  does  not  always 
let  a  good  sermon  sink  in,  for  he  is  of  the 
"Man  from  Missouri"  kind.  The  film, 
however,  shows  him  the  effect  and  cause  in 
actuality,  consequently  the  lesson  goes  right 
home. 

Naturally,  church  attendances  are  not  so 
good  as  they  were  before  the  coming  of  the 
motion  pictures,  but  the  minister  can  cope 
with  this  competition  by  adapting  himself 
to  modern  conditions. 

At  the  time  the  photoplay  adaptation  of 
"Les  Miserables"  was  enjoying  an  extended 
run  in  Boston,  Dr.  Meyers,  preaching  at  the 
Tremont  Temple,  viewed  the  production  of 
his  own  accord.  It  impressed  him  so  much 
as  an  educational  vehicle  that  he  delivered 
a  twelve-minute  sermon,  concluding  same  by 
advising  his  congregation  to  see  the  motion- 
picture  version  of  Victor  Hugo's  master- 
piece. 

But  the  method  that  commends  itself  to 
me  is  one  whereby  the  minister  can  raise 

138 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  moral  tone  of  the  photoplay  theater. 
Every  now  and  then  an  exhibitor  runs  an 
excellent  sermon  production,  and  on  such 
occasions  the  ministers  in  the  town  might 
get  together  and  prevail  upon  the  showman 
to  hold  a  private  advance  performance  so 
that  they  may  preach  upon  same.  The  con- 
gregation will  manifest  the  greatest  interest 
in  such  a  timelj  and  interesting  topic.  The 
exhibitor,  in  return,  gives  advance  publicity 
to  the  sermon,  thereby  inducing  outsiders  to 
attend  the  church  service.  If  the  plan  proves 
successful,  it  will  inspire  the  exhibitor  to 
have  such  films  figure  frequently  on  his 
program. 

The  minister  who  aspires  to  address  a 
larger  audience — the  world  itself,  in  fact — 
for  his  sermons,  can  obtain  his  heart's  desire 
without  having  to  resign  his  position,  for 
there  exists  a  demand  for  photoplay  stories. 
I  could  name  several  pastors  who  have  made 
good  in  writing  scenarios  in  their  spare 
time,  but  the  leading  exponent  is  Rev.  Clar- 
ence J.  Harris,  who  has  had  over  two 
hundred  photoplays  produced,  and  is  now 
scenario  editor  for  one  of  the  leading  pro- 
ducing companies. 

Many  ministers  get  the  mistaken  idea 
139 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

that  the  motion-picture  producers  refuse  to 
consider  their  efforts,  whereas  the  reverse 
is  the  case.  They  know  that  the  minister  is 
able  to  study  many  phases  of  life  at  first- 
hand, but  the  mistake  too  often  made  is  to 
write  a  photoplay  with  the  sermon  element 
foremost,  in  mind.  The  average  motion- 
picture  patron  resents  being  preached  at; 
he  must  be  tackled  in  an  impartial  way,  and 
this  is  by  weaving  an  entertaining  story 
around  a  moral  lesson  of  paramount  impor- 
tance. The  sermonizing  value  is  not  impaired 
in  so  doing.  The  minister  would  also  do 
well  to  steer  clear  of  religion,  for  it  must 
be  remembered  that  all  creeds  are  repre- 
sented in  the  motion-picture  theater  and 
what  might  be  in  good  taste  for  one  might 
prove  offensive  to  another.  The  producer, 
therefore,  has  to  maintain  a  strictly  neutral 
attitude  toward  religion. 

When  a  minister  has  had  one  of  his 
photoplays  accepted  and  produced,  it  is  up 
to  him  to  arrange  with  the  local  theaters  to 
show  the  production,  when  he  can  deliver  a 
sermon  in  connection  with  same. 


140 


XXVIII 

RAISING  CHURCH  FUNDS  BY  MOTION 
PICTURES 

TT  has  long  been  contended  by  many  that 
*•  the  motion  picture  does  serious  injury  to 
the  church.  This  belief  is  based  on  the 
assumption  that  the  motion-picture  theater 
takes  away  people  from  the  church  on 
Sunday  evenings.  There  is  no  doubt  some 
truth  in  the  statement,  but  when  a  minister 
finds  his  congregation  decreasing,  he  himself 
is  generally  alone  to  blame.  The  habitual 
churchgoers  are  loyal  because  religion  to 
them  is  something  sacred.  There  are  many 
folks  who  are  attracted  by  inspiring  music 
and  good  sermons,  and  when  these  things 
are  lacking,  they  automatically  switch  over 
to  the  photoplay  show. 

Some  churches  have  gone  so  far  as  to 
introduce  motion  pictures  in  their  regular 
services  in  order  to  successfully  combat 
outside  influences;  others  have  utilized  same 
to  raise  funds. 

To  build  a  $20,000  church  edifice  with- 
141 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

out  being  a  penny  in  debt  is  what  the 
motion  picture  has  accomplished  at  Bowie, 
Texas.  "The  Alerts,"  a  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Sunday-school  class,  had  five  months 
in  which  to  raise  the  necessary  funds, 
so  they  went  into  direct  competition  with 
a  local  photoplay  theater.  At  first  they 
volunteered  to  boost  his  business,  but  the 
exhibitor  rejected  their  percentage  propo- 
sition. 

Fred  Paire,  president  of  "The  Alerts," 
thereupon  rented  a  building  in  the  business 
section  and  equipped  same  with  a  home- 
made stage  and  screen,  borrowing  the  chairs. 
Then  projection  apparatus  was  purchased 
and  films  hired.  The  films  were  carefully 
selected,  in  order  not  to  conflict  with  the 
ideals  of  the  church,  and  still  be  sufficiently 
entertaining  to  attract  the  general  public. 
Advertising  space  was  taken  in  the  local 
newspapers,  and  the  movement  aroused  so 
much  interest  that  clubs  formed  motion-pic- 
ture parties. 

Quite  a  few  parish  houses  have  been 
built,  thanks  to  that  "Good  Samaritan" — 
the  motion  picture.  Two  pastors — one  in 
Peoria,  Illinois,  the  other  in  Milltown,  New 
Jersey — found  the  one  church  building 
142 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

totally  inadequate  for  their  requirements,  so 
they  went  ahead  on  a  parish  house,  trusting 
to  the  motion  picture  to  defray  all  expenses. 
Nor  were  they  disappointed. 

Rev.  Dr.  James  Donohue,  of  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas  Church,  Brooklyn,  obtained  the 
money  for  a  parochial  school  before  the 
building  had  even  been  started.  The  vacant 
lot  which  he  had  in  mind  he  converted  into 
an  airdrome.  He  provided  one  thousand 
seats,  obtained  the  necessary  apparatus  and 
presented  a  five-reel  daily  program.  For 
ushers  and  ticket-sellers  he  obtained  the 
services  of  church-members. 

When  the  Epiphany  of  St.  John's  Epis- 
copal Church,  at  Shenandoah,  Pennsylvania, 
was  much  damaged  by  a  tornado,  a  repair- 
ing fund  had  to  be  raised.  The  aid  of  the 
local  exhibitor  was  sought,  with  the  result 
that  an  evening  was  set  aside  for  a  benefit 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Women's  Guild, 
the  members  of  which  sold  tickets  prior  to 
the  show. 

The  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
Locust  and  LaSalle  Streets,  Chicago,  recent- 
ly had  to  wipe  out  a  church  debt.  At  one 
of  the  regular  Sunday  services  a  film  dealing 
with  religion  in  India  was  shown.  The 
10  143 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

result  was  that  the  required  one  hundred 
dollars  was  collected. 

Over  in  England,  at  Nottingham,  a  large 
Baptist  chapel  found  itself  in  financial  diffi- 
culties, so  it  occurred  to  the  management  to 
rent  the  building  to  a  motion-picture  con- 
cern. 

The  First  Christian  Church,  Eleventh 
and  Locust  Streets,  Kansas  City,  Missouri, 
has  a  separate  auditorium  accommodating 
eight  hundred,  which  is  equipped  for  the 
presentation  of  motion  pictures.  This  may 
at  any  time  be  hired  for  movie  shows. 

Possibly  the  saddest  case  is  that  of  the 
Rev.  W.  B.  Codsell,  pastor  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  at  Westfield,  Illinois.  He 
found  that  his  salary  was  totally  inadequate, 
so  he  inaugurated  a  motion-picture  show  at 
his  church.  Some  of  the  more  narrow- 
minded  members  of  his  congregation  de- 
clared that  his  shows  taught  children  to 
"emulate  cowboys,"  consequently  he  was 
obliged  to  resign. 


144 


XXIX 

INCREASING  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  ATTEN- 
DANCES BY  MOTION  PICTURES 

1  I  'HE  motion  picture  is  not  immune  from 
•*•  the  abuses  which  have  distinguished 
literature,  consequently  there  are  bad  photo- 
plays as  well  as  books  which  are  not  fit  for 
young  folks  to  read. 

To  condemn  a  thing  entirely  because  it 
is  defective  in  some  respects  is  opposed  to 
American  principles,  so  I  can  not  be  more 
fair  than  to  dwell  upon  the  desirable  kinds 
of  motion  pictures. 

Motion  pictures  are  very  popular  with 
children  of  all  ages,  and  they  particularly 
enjoy  refined  comedies,  inspiring  dramas  and 
interesting  educationals. 

There  have  been  many  influences  to 
account  for  the  falling  off  in  Sunday-school 
attendances  within  recent  years,  and  the  only 
effective  way  to  combat  these  is  to  utilize 
every  possible  modern  method  of  enhancing 
the  interest  in  lessons. 

145 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  motion  picture  has  won  its  spurs 
because  it  can  serve  up  dry  facts  in  an 
appetizing  manner.  Bible  lessons  and  the 
teachings  of  Christianity  are  made  much 
more  clear  and  interesting  when  told  by 
motion  pictures,  which  appeal  to  the  eye. 

As  a  well-known  preacher  said  some 
time  ago:  "You  can  teach  a  boy  a  lesson  in 
Sunday  school,  but  he  is  not  interested,  and, 
if  he  listens  at  all,  he  soon  forgets  what  he 
has  learned,  while  the  lesson  of  the  motion 
picture  is  not  only  intensely  interesting,  but 
it  has  a  dramatic  and  lasting  effect  on  the 
boy.  If  I  could  select  my  own  pictures,  I 
believe  I  could  reform  any  bad  boy." 

The  Texas  State  Sunday  School  Associa- 
tion, at  its  1914  convention,  held  at  Fort 
Worth,  made  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that 
the  motion-picture  producers  be  encouraged 
to  put  out  more  educational  subjects  as  well 
as  Bible  and  mission  pictures,  as  the  supply 
was  not  equal  to  the  demand,  while  the 
Sunday  schools  were  resorting  more  and 
more  to  the  motion  picture  as  entertainment. 

Rev.  C.  F.  Reisner,  pastor  of  the  Grace 
M.  E.  Church,  West  iO4th  Street,  New 
York  City,  selects  his  programs  from  five 
thousand  educational  subjects.  He  does  not 

146 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

show  religious  films  exclusively,  but  also 
lectures  to  films  which  depict  such  subjects 
as  cotton-growing  in  the  South,  and  wheat- 
raising. 

Dr.  Reisner  is  a  pioneer  in  the  church 
motion-picture  field,  and  one  minister  who 
adopted  his  methods  has  increased  his  Sun- 
day-school attendance  by  eight  hundred. 

In  so  far  as  Dr.  Reisner's  own  Sunday 
school  is  concerned,  he  gave  motion-picture 
entertainments  to  seventeen  thousand  chil- 
dren during  the  first  year  of  operation.  "I 
firmly  believe,"  he  said,  "that  these  enter- 
tainments do  as  much  to  stimulate  interest 
in  Sunday-school  work  as  anything  else." 

Not  so  long  ago  the  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school  attached  to  the  Central 
Presbyterian  Church,  Rock  Island,  Illinois, 
inaugurated  a  series  of  motion-picture  shows. 
These  are  given  on  Friday  nights,  and  only 
those  pupils  who  have  been  regular  in  their 
Sunday-school  attendance  receive  tickets  of 
admission. 

The  Rev.  Oscar  C.  Helming,  pastor  of 
the  University  Church,  Fifty-sixth  Street  and 
Madison  Avenue,  Chicago,  has  converted 
his  Sunday-school  room  into  a  motion-pic- 
ture theater,  in  which  he  presents  his  picture 
147 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

program.  He  reports  increased  attendance, 
and  the  shows  have  had  a  marked  effect 
upon  the  older  children,  in  that  they  have 
stayed. 

All  these  typical  instances  go  to  prove 
that  motion  pictures  are  a  necessary  adjunct 
to  Sunday-school  work.  The  possibilities, 
however,  in  this  connection,  have  not  been 
fully  realized,  and  the  superintendent  who 
is  alive  to  these  can  improve  his  school. 


148 


XXX 

ALLOWING  CHILDREN  TO  ACT  IN  A 
PHOTOPLAY   THEY   HAVE   SEEN 

/CHILDREN  enjoy  motion  pictures  be- 
^•^  cause  they  appeal  to  the  eye  and  make 
education  a  real  joy,  instead  of  something 
to  be  dreaded.  As  children  are  never  happy 
unless  mimicking  or  describing  something 
which  they  have  seen,  there  is  no  reason 
why  this  trait  should  not  be  capitalized  in 
connection  with  Sunday-school  entertain- 
ments. 

Every  child  has  his  favorite  motion- 
picture  actor.  I  know  of  a  party  of  four 
youngsters  who  play  motion-picture  shows 
every  Saturday.  The  eldest  sister  imper- 
sonates Mary  Pickford  because  she  has  long 
curls;  her  sister  likes  to  be  Ruth  Stonehouse; 
her  brother  pretends  he  is  Francis  X.  Bush- 
man, while  his  little  cousin  acts  like  Bryant 
Washburn.  They  do  not  play  in  their  back 
yard,  but,  instead,  visit  the  best  scenic  places 
just  like  the  real  thing. 

149 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Up  in  Canada  a  class  of  schoolchildren 
went  one  better.  They  enacted  a  certain 
popular  photoplay  on  the  school  platform 
under  the  supervision  of  their  teacher,  and 
the  imagination  and  memorizing  displayed 
were  nothing  short  of  remarkable. 

The  coach  of  a  Sunday-school  dramatic 
entertainment  will  not  find  it  an  arduous 
task  to  present  a  production  if  it  is  one 
which  his  actors  have  seen  at  the  local 
motion-picture  theater.  Any  photoplay  will 
not  suit — that  is  obvious — and  the  selection, 
therefore,  of  a  suitable  effort,  should  be 
guided  by  the  following  considerations. 

Some  photoplays  are  too  melodramatic 
or  vulgar  for  children  to  see.  This  leaves 
the  refined  productions.  The  average  one, 
two  and  three  part  picture  contains  as  much 
plot  as  a  magazine  short  story.  The  feature 
production — in  four  reels  and  up — generally 
possesses  sufficient  story  for  a  novel  of 
moderate  length,  although  it  only  takes  an 
hour  or  so  to  run  off  the  screen. 

Care  must  be  exercised  not  to  utilize 
photoplay  adaptations  of  copyrighted  novels 
or  stage  plays.  There  is  perfect  safety  in 
adapting  original  photoplays  or  those  based 
on  copyright-expired  works. 

150 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  successful  photoplay  used  to  be  the 
one  of  action,  but  the  tendency  to-day  leans 
toward  perfect  characterization.  The  all- 
action  story  is  no  doubt  easier  for  children 
to  grasp,  but  it  is  harder  for  the  coach  to 
stage,  as  deeds  have  to  be  replaced  by 
words. 

After  a  story  has  been  chosen  and  the 
cast  selected,  the  players  and  coach  should 
attend  the  local  photoplay  theater  in  a  body 
and  see  the  production  over  twice  if  this  i& 
possible.  The  coach,  after  the  performance, 
should  draw  up  a  synopsis  of  the  story  and 
hand  copies  of  same  to  the  participants. 
Should  dialogue  be  adopted  to  fit  the  situ- 
ations? When  a  photoplay  is  produced  the 
players  have  no  lines  to  go  by — they  say 
things  that  seem  natural  to  the  characters. 
Of  course  what  they  say  is  not  heard,  but 
as  the  child  actors  will  have  visualized  the 
story,  they  might  be  allowed  a  little  license. 

It  will  perhaps  be  as  well  to  prepare  a 
skeleton  of  the  story  in  order  to  arrange 
the  entrances  and  exits  in  proper  sequence. 
The  absence  of  the  quick-change-of-scene 
element  would  make  this  necessary. 

This  entertainment  plan  should  prove 
an  excellent  drawing-card. 

151 


XXXI 

MISSIONARY  WORK  BY  MOTION 
PICTURES 

'  I  'HOSE  few  missionaries  who  have  ven- 
•*•  tured  into  the  motion-picture  field  have 
good  cause  to  be  satisfied  with  the  results 
they  have  achieved. 

Probably  the  most  fertile  territory  is  the 
Philippines,  where  the  motion  picture  has 
succeeded  in  preaching,  among  other  impor- 
tant things,  the  gospel  of  sanitation.  The 
films,  as  shown  before  several  wild  Filipino 
tribes,  contrasted  the  old,  unhealthy  way 
with  the  modern,  hygienic  one.  In  the  case 
of  one  tribe,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
for  the  Philippines  reports  that  roads  have 
been  built,  rivers  cleared,  public  order  main- 
tained, hunting,  slavery  and  piracy  almost 
abolished,  agriculture  commenced,  schools 
opened  and  barriers  broken  down  between 
tribes. 

In  Hawaii  the  American-Japanese  prob- 
lem presents  the  greatest  menace,  and  Dr. 

152 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Sidney  L.  Gulick  is  of  the  opinion  that  the 
motion  picture  is  capable  of  Americanizing 
the  Oriental  population.  He  makes  the 
following  suggestions : 

"If  the  sugar  plantations  should  com- 
bine, they  might  employ  an  expert  man  or 
two  on  each  of  the  islands,  who  could  visit 
the  various  plantations  and  villages,  in  turn, 
and  in  time  completely  transform  the  mind 
of  the  entire  population.  He  should  have 
courses  of  lectures  and  reels  on  American 
history — 'Colonial  Times  and  Early  Immi- 
gration;' 'The  War  of  Independence;'  'The 
Civil  War  and  Its  Consequences;'  'Recent 
Immigration,'  etc.,  etc.  The  education 
should  also  serve  to  acquaint  the  people 
with  the  principal  events  and  meaning  of 
European  history — 'The  Middle  Ages;' 
'Feudalism;'  'The  Reformation;'  'The  Rise 
of  Nations  in  Europe;'  'The  Rise  of  Con- 
stitutional Governments  and  Democracies;' 
'The  History  of  Liberty.' 

"But  even  more  than  this  should  be 
done.  'The  Life  and  Teachings  of  Jesus' 
and  the  standard  stones  of  the  Bible  should 
be  displayed  in  such  ways  as  to  set  forth 
the  fundamental  moral  and  religious  concep- 
tions of  Occidental  civilization. 

153 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

"By  the  use  of  motion  pictures  (five 
cents  to  adults  and  free  to  children)  the 
entire  Asiatic  population  would  be  uncon- 
sciously swept  into  the  circle  of  our  Occi- 
dental life.  Parents  would  move  along  with 
their  children  in  their  acquaintance  and 
ideals.  The  chasm  between  parents  and 
children,  now  dreaded,  and  to  avoid  which 
the  Japanese  schools  exist,  would  be  largely 
overcome. 

"The  man  to  give  these  lectures  should, 
of  course,  be  bilingual  at  least.  Adults  who 
understand  little  English  should  be  ad- 
dressed in  their  native  tongues — Japanese, 
Filipino,  Chinese,  etc." 

Even  in  Japan  much  educational  work 
remains  to  be  done  in  regard  to  Christianity. 
When  "Quo  Vadis?"  was  shown  in  Japan 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Board  of  Missions,  it  was  seen  by  many 
distinguished  folks,  including  members  of 
noble  families,  rich  merchants  and  people 
of  the  court  who  can  not  be  persuaded  to 
attend  church. 

The  photoplay  brought  home  most  con- 
vincingly the  principles  of  Christianity,  and 
there  is  no  question  that  its  indirect  influence 
was  felt. 

154 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

One  persevering  missionary  in  the  wilds 
of  Africa  tried  divers  ways  of  gaining  the 
attention  of  the  hard-to-please  natives,  but 
failed  in  every  instance.  So,  when  a 
stranded  American  came  along  to  the  near- 
est township,  and  was  glad  to  sell  his 
motion-picture  outfit  for  a  mere  song,  the 
missionary  decided  to  try  the  motion  picture 
as  a  last  resource. 

One  night  he  rigged  up  his  camp  show 
near  the  village  of  the  heathens  and  invited 
all  the  inhabitants  to  be  present.  Unfortu- 
nately, as  it  turned  out  to  be  later,  all  his 
films  were  slapstick  comedies,  otherwise  the 
right  kind  of  films  might  have  rewarded  his 
efforts  with  success. 

The  natives  were  so  astonished  at  first 
that  they  all  stood  up  and  then  went  down 
on  their  hands  and  knees  as  if  to  show 
reverence. 

Before  long  they  were  literally  laughing 
themselves  to  death,  and  became  so  unruly 
that  the  missionary  had  great  difficulty  in 
continuing  the  performance. 

He  experienced  a  sample  of  the  effect 

the  films  had  on  them  when,  about  a  week 

later,    he   came    across    a   band    of   natives 

acting  with  great  vigor  what  they  had  seen. 

155 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Particularly  exciting  were  the  chase 
scenes,  in  which  the  blacks  chased  one  of 
the  tribe  whose  face  had  been  covered  with 
white  clay  to  resemble  a  white  man. 

Things  looked  very  serious  when  they 
staged  the  trick  incident  One  of  the  films 
had  depicted  a  man  brandishing  his  club  on 
another  man,  only  to  find  him  suddenly 
disappear. 

To  the  amazement  of  the  natives,  how- 
ever, the  victim  remained  where  he  was. 
Just  as  they  were  going  to  deal  the  victim 
another  vicious  blow,  the  missionary  inter- 
vened. 

When  their  attention  was  eventually 
secured  they  were  told  that  the  thing  was 
not  done  in  reality.  The  fact  that  they  had 
been  deceived  got  the  goats  of  the  natives, 
who,  on  the  next  day,  attacked  the  tent  when 
the  missionary  was  absent  and  completely 
wrecked  everything,  including  the  projection 
machine.  They  used  the  strips  of  film  as 
articles  of  jewelry. 

But  in  the  South  Sea  Islands,  Vicomte  de 
Geron,  a  Frenchman,  runs  a  chain  of 
motion-picture  shows  on  the  principal 
islands,  which  are  doing  much  to  breed  the 
spirit  of  content  among  the  natives. 
156 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Outside  of  dances  and  feasts,  the  natives 
have  no  other  form  of  amusement,  so  the 
motion  picture  came  as  a  boon  and  blessing. 

The  theater  operator,  at  the  first  per- 
formance, blundered,  which  resulted  in  one 
of  the  reels  of  films  running  loose  from  his 
box.  The  natives  did  not  know  what  to 
make  of  the  incident,  so  they  each  purloined 
a  strip  of  the  film  as  a  souvenir. 

To-day  the  natives  attend  as  regularly 
and  are  as  orderly  as  any  American  audi- 
ence. They  are  not,  however,  particular 
how  old  the  films  are.  Those  they  see  have 
first  gone  the  rounds  of  a  number  of 
theaters  in  New  Zealand. 

Apart  from  enlightening  them  in  regard 
to  how  the  civilized  world  lives,  there  has 
been  less  law-breaking  since  the  advent  of 
the  motion  picture. 


157 


XXXII 

TEMPERANCE  AIDED  BY  MOTION 
PICTURES 

^  I  'HE  weaknesses  of  the  human  race  are 
*-  the  raw  materials  which  the  motion- 
picture  producer  is  so  fond  of  serving  up  on 
the  screen,  and  since  partaking  of  intoxicant 
liquor  is  one  of  the  predominant  ones,  he 
has  not  hesitated  to  effectively  put  over  the 
harms  of  this  evil. 

Neither  the  printed  page  nor  the  lec- 
turer's eloquence  can  approach  the  motion 
picture  for  hammering  the  lesson  right 
home.  What  is  the  reason  for  its  supe- 
riority, then?  There  is,  in  the  first  place, 
considerable  difference  in  the  medium 
employed. 

The  motion  picture  is  absolutely  the 
nearest  you  can  get  to  real  life.  The  work- 
ingman  addicted  to  the  drinking  habit  sees, 
for  instance,  the  havoc  wrought  by  excessive 
drinking.  The  film  reveals  a  home  like  his 
broken  up — he  is  dismissed  by  his  employer 

158 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

and  later  his  wife  and  children  desert  him 
through  his  brutality,  and  the  drunkard 
finally  winds  up  his  career  in  prison.  All 
this  has  been  such  a  lesson  to  him  that  he 
reforms  after  his  prison  sentence  has 
expired. 

The  motion-picture  screen  has  converted 
many  a  drunkard,  and  I  can  offer  no  more 
convincing  proof  of  this  fact  than  the  case 
of  "John  Barleycorn,"  Jack  London's  tem- 
perance photoplay.  When  this  was  about 
to  be  put  on  the  market,  the  liquor  interests 
of  the  country  offered  the  producer  thou- 
sands of  dollars  if  he  would  suppress  the 
film.  The  offer,  by  the  way,  was  promptly 
rejected. 

The  immense  popularity  enjoyed  by  the 
motion  picture  has  also  had  an  uplifting 
influence  upon  the  working  classes.  After 
the  day's  work  is  done,  the  husband  natu- 
rally wants  relaxation,  and  until  the  photo- 
play came  along  his  haven  of  refuge  was  the 
saloon.  The  entertaining  powers  and  cheap- 
ness of  motion  pictures  proved  irresistible, 
the  result  now  being  that  the  majority  have 
gotten  into  the  habit  of  dropping  in  at  the, 
nearest  show  for  an  hour  or  so  of  an 
evening,  accompanied  by  their  wives  and 
11  159 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

children.  This  is  held  to  be  directly  respon- 
sible for  the  closing  down  of  many  saloons 
throughout  the  country. 

Over  in  Britain  they  have  had  a  new 
form  of  the  drink  evil  to  combat  with.  In 
many  towns  the  motion-picture  theaters  can 
not  open  on  the  Sabbath.  Before  taking 
action  in  Newark,  a  suburb  of  Nottingham, 
the  Church  of  England  Men's  Society  sought 
first-hand  information  on  the  matter  in 
regard  to  the  moral  effect  upon  the  popu- 
lation. The  report  received  from  the  chief 
constable  stated  that  since  the  photoplay 
theaters  opened  on  Sundays  the  town  had 
become  so  law-abiding  that  it  had  been  an 
easy  matter  to  deplete  the  police  force  on 
duty  by  one-half.  Moreover,  the  saloon- 
keepers were  doing  their  utmost  to  have  the 
theaters  closed,  as  they  had  experienced  an 
alarming  decrease  in  their  receipts. 

The  motion  picture  has  also  done  good 
work  in  Germany.  I  can  not  give  any 
latest  figures,  but  I  do  know  that  over 
two  thousand  saloons  quit  business  in  1911, 
and  also  that  each  inhabitant  per  head 
drank  between  two  and  three  litres  instead 
of  four  litres,  as  had  been  the  case  in 
previous  years. 

160 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Does  not  all  of  this  offer  adequate  testi- 
mony that  the  motion  picture,  through  its 
far-reaching  influence  and  excellent,  thought- 
transference  plan,  has  successfully  accom- 
plished the  work  of  a  hundred  Billy  Sundays, 
although  I  have  no  desire  to  belittle  his 
efforts? 


161 


XXXIII 

STAMPING  DOWN  CRUELTY  TO  ANIMALS 
BY  MOTION  PICTURES 

AT  Cincinnati  there  is  an  amusement 
**  place  which  corresponds  to  New  York's 
Coney  Island.  When  a  Wild  West  troupe 
appeared  there  recently,  the  Humane  officers 
made  it  their  business  to  be  present  at  the 
first  performance  and  were  rewarded  by 
seeing  two  acts  of  cruelty.  These  were  the 
bull-fight  and  a  bucking  broncho  being 
forced  to  perform  extraordinarily  hard 
stunts,  by  using  real  spurs  such  as  cow- 
punchers  use.  At  the  end  of  the  show  they 
had  the  show  manager  and  his  two  riders 
arrested. 

But  they  had  the  proof  with  which  to 
put  over  their  charge.  It  so  happened  that 
an  animated  newspaper  man  was  on  the  job 
with  his  camera,  and  his  employers  loaned 
a  copy  of  the  film  to  the  Humane  officers. 

The  European  war  has  done  one  good 
thing:  it  has  stopped  the  decrepit-horse 
162 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

traffic  between  England  and  Belgium  and 
Holland.  Horses  which  had  served  their 
period  of  usefulness  were  exported  from 
London  to  these  countries,  there  to  be  con- 
verted into  food.  The  horses  were  in  such 
a  terrible  condition  that  the  humane  thing 
to  do  would  be  to  shoot  them  before  they 
began  their  journey. 

The  Royal  Society  for  the  Prevention 
of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  in  the  early  part  of 
1914,  endeavored  to  pass  a  bill  in  Parlia- 
ment to  stop  the  shameful  trade.  They 
wanted  the  public  to  feel  as  strongly  on  the 
subject  as  they  did,  so  that  the  bill  would 
pass.  They  therefore  had  a  film  produced, 
covering  all  phases  of  the  decrepit-horse 
traffic.  The  picture,  when  first  shown,  was 
so  harrowing  that  it  had  to  be  censored 
before  being  released  for  public  exhibition. 
Having  seen  the  film  myself,  I  can  vouch 
for  its  convincing  qualities. 

It  was  intended  to  show  the  film  in 
Belgium  and  Holland,  with  the  object  of 
influencing  public  opinion,  but  the  war 
stepped  in  to  spoil  the  society's  plans. 

With  the  advent  of  war,  the  British 
Blue  Cross  Society  came  into  existence  in 
order  to  administer  aid  to  the  wounded 

163 


MOTION   PICTURE  EDUCATION 

horses  on  the  firing-line  in  France.  Had 
not  the  society  in  such  timely  fashion  come 
to  the  rescue,  the  prevailing  ineffective 
medical  treatment  of  horses  would  have 
continued. 

The  society,  however,  was  sorely  in  need 
of  funds,  so  the  idea  was  conceived  of  hav- 
ing a  short  photoplay  produced.  The  story 
was  offered  to  exhibitors  in  the  ordinary 
way,  the  local  member  in  each  town  doing 
all  in  his  power  to  attract  folks  to  see  the 
film. 

The  various  organizations  for  the  pre- 
vention of  cruelty  to  animals  owe  many 
thanks  to  the  photoplay  producers  for  put- 
ting over  their  "Be  kind  to  animals"  slogan 
in  their  regular  productions.  A  typical 
example  of  this  was  presented  in  "Rags," 
in  which  Mary  Pickford  protected  a  dog 
which  had  been  cruelly  treated. 

Not  so  long  ago  the  New  York 
Woman's  League  for  Animals  was  respon- 
sible for  a  two-reel  animal  drama,  the 
unique  feature  of  the  play  being  the  sub- 
titles, told  in  the  language  of  the  horse, 
who,  by  the  way,  acted  with  human  intelli- 
gence. 

The  Massachusetts  Society  for  the  Pre- 
164 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

vention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  later  offered 
twenty-five  dollars  for  a  suitable  scenario 
featuring  animals  and  children,  but  bringing 
out  why  it  behooves  young  and  old  to  treat 
animals  kindly. 


165 


XXXIV 

THE  MOTION  PICTURE  IN  SURGERY 
AND  MEDICINE 

1  I  'HE  motion  picture  in  surgery  and  medi- 
•*•  cine  has  not  passed  beyond  the  experi- 
mental stage. 

By  the  film  a  subject  is  covered  in  a  few 
minutes,  although  the  actual  experiments 
may  have  involved  hours  of  patient  effort. 
Nothing  is  destroyed  by  the  speeding  up; 
in  fact,  it  is  an  improvement,  since  many 
movements  are  brought  to  light  which  would 
remain  unnoticed  in  the  operating  theater. 

Frequently  animals  are  sacrificed  for 
surgical  purposes,  but  when  this  is  done  for 
the  film  only  one  such  sacrifice  is  necessary. 
The  negative  records  the  experiment  for  all 
time,  for  positive  copies  may  be  struck  off 
and  distributed  for  simultaneous  circulation. 
Moreover,  the  experiment  is  the  same  every 
time,  consequently  failures  are  practically  nil. 

To  quote  Dr.  C.  H.  Heydmann,  speak- 
ing at  a  medical  demonstration  in  London : 
166 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

"The  value  of  cinematographic  radiography 
lies  in  seeing  the  actual  processes  taking 
place  in  the  normal  body. 

"We  shall  be  able  to  travel  with  a  piece 
of  bread,  a  potato,  a  morsel  of  butter  or 
meat,  a  pill  or  a  glass  of  beer,  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  its  journey. 

"We  shall  see,  through  the  eyes  of  the 
cinematograph,  what  each  mouthful  does  to 
us  and  how  it  does  it. 

"Then,  and  only  then,  shall  we  be  able 
to  draw  our  correct  conclusions  as  to  bene- 
ficial or  hostile  elements  without  having 
recourse  to  simulated  conditions  of  the 
laboratory  or  rule-of-thumb  therapeutics  or 
dietetics." 

Dr.  Doyen,  who  has  produced  fifty 
medical  films  altogether,  is  of  the  opinion 
that  if  the  student  sees  a  surgical  operation 
on  the  film  before  viewing  the  actual  oper- 
ation, he  will  be  able  to  follow  the  latter 
with  perfect  comprehension. 

The  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
intends  using  motion  pictures  as  part  of  its 
course  of  instruction.  At  the  first  demon- 
stration, held  in  New  York  City  during 
March,  1916,  five  phases  of  surgical  operat- 
ing were  dealt  with  in  a  five-reel  picture. 

167 


MOTION   PICTURE  EDUCATION 

The  chief  subjects,  the  removal  of  a  goitre 
in  the  neck  and  the  removal  of  stones  from 
the  bladder,  were  handled  by  Dr.  Eugene 
Pool,  of  New  York  Hospital,  and  Dr. 
Charles  Peck,  of  Roosevelt  Hospital,  both 
of  whom  lectured  upon  them. 

The  films  were  shown  to  an  audience  of 
two  hundred  in  the  tower  lecture  hall,  in 
which  a  fireproof  booth  was  installed  to 
accommodate  the  operator. 

How  are  surgical  films  produced?  In 
the  early  part  of  1912,  Siegmund  Lubin, 
president  of  the  well-known  film  company 
bearing  his  name,  invented  a  machine  which 
combined  the  motion  picture  with  the  X-rays. 
This  machine  enables  a  man's  digestive 
organs  to  be  filmed. 

"I  do  not  allow  any  doctor  to  go  out 
to  the  Philadelphia  Hospital  and  take  away 
patients  to  be  photographed,"  Dr.  Neff  is 
quoted  as  saying  in  a  newspaper  interview. 
"But  such  physicians  as  are  attached  to  the 
staff  are  permitted  to  do  so,  if  the  patient 
does  not  object.  If  the  patient  objects,  that 
ends  it  But  I  have  heard  of  no  objections 
being  raised,  and  the  patients  become  inter- 
ested and  enjoy  the  experience.  It  is  a 
change  for  them. 

168 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

"Mr.  Lubin  has  been  good  to  us.  Our 
motion  pictures  of  microbes  in  milk  were 
made  at  his  establishment,  and  he  placed  all 
the  resources  at  our  command." 

I  know  of  a  Frenchman  who  actually 
succeeded  in  filming  the  digestive  organs  of 
a  trout.  This  fish  was  put  on  a  restricted 
diet  which  included  flour,  sugar,  peptone, 
subnitrate  of  bismuth  and  water.  For  film- 
ing purposes  he  used  a  table  which  was 
provided  with  a  glass  pool  at  each  end,  in 
order  to  provide  the  necessary  water  to  keep 
the  trout  alive.  There  was  not  an  inch  of 
extra  space  in  which  the  trout  could  move, 
and  the  top  of  the  envelope  was  covered 
with  a  piece  of  paraffin  paper.  This  tube 
was  placed  in  the  receptacle  under  the  table, 
the  camera  being  focused  on  the  glass  and 
operated  by  an  electric  motor.  The  trout 
was  compelled  to  fast  for  two  days  in  this 
cramped  position,  the  constant  flow  of  fresh 
water  keeping  it  alive.  This  is  known  as 
the  Carvello  system.  A  special-sized  film, 
the  depth  of  which  is  2  3-5  inches,  is  used, 
and  usually  two  thousand  exposures  per 
second  are  made  instead  of  the  usual  sixteen. 
A  motor  controls  the  X-ray  camera,  and  this 
motor  can  run  at  whatever  speed  suits  the 
169 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

subject.  To  cover  an  operation  occupying 
days,  the  operator  simply  switches  the  clutch 
at  the  right  gear,  the  result  being  that 
exposures  are  made  at  intervals. 

Attached  to  the  machine  is  a  box  which 
contains  the  roll  of  exposed  film  and  two 
reserve  rolls.  It  has  been  found  necessary 
to  overcome  lighting  difficulties  by  using  a 
cardboard  box  as  a  hood.  In  the  center  of 
this  box  is  a  tube  which  has  a  fluorescent 
screen  at  its  lower  end. 

Some  time  ago  a  German  surgeon 
invented  a  machine  called  the  bio-roentgen- 
ograph,  which  demonstrated  some  interest- 
ing facts  concerning  the  stomach.  In  the 
film  taken,  the  whole  stomach  was  revealed 
at  work,  but  when  the  animal  subjects  were 
excited  or  angered  the  stomach  movements 
stopped. 

The  general  course  followed  is  to  supply 
the  patient  with  some  digestible  food — a 
regular  meal,  in  fact — mixed  with  bismuth 
or  barium,  to  be  opaque  to  the  Roentgen 
rays,  which  are  behind  the  patient.  The 
camera,  however,  is  in  front,  where  it 
"registers"  the  movements  of  the  stomach, 
on  negative  stock  larger  than  the  standard 
size,  at  the  rate  of  twelve  exposures  every 

170 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

twenty  seconds.  The  positive  copies  printed 
from  the  negative  are  on  the  regular  film 
stock. 

A  motion-picture  attachment  to  the  elec- 
tro-cardiogram has  been  invented  by  Dr.  W. 
Einthoven,  of  Leyden,  Holland. 

The  electro-cardiogram  is  operated  by 
placing  a  tiny  thread  of  quartz  or  platinum, 
the  diameter  of  which  is  no  larger  than 
one-thousandth  of  an  inch,  in  the  magnetic 
part  of  a  powerful  electric  magnet.  At  the 
back  of  the  filament  is  an  arc-lamp,  where 
the  motion-picture  camera  is  located. 

Dr.  J.  Comandon,  the  famous  French 
scientist,  has  produced  several  X-ray  sub- 
jects, chief  of  which  is  "Radiography  in 
Practice."  In  this  several  living  subjects 
were  treated,  of  which  may  be  mentioned 
the  bones  of  the  wrist,  the  hand  in  a  rubber 
glove,  side  "close-up"  of  the  knee,  likewise 
the  foot  and  the  bones  of  the  ankle. 

In  "The  Examination  of  the  Stomach" 
were  shown  the  methods  adopted  by  the 
doctor  in  getting  ready  the  patient's  stomach 
for  the  X-rays,  and  we  see  how  the  Crookes 
tube,  which  discharges  the  rays,  is  worked, 
the  patient  imbibing  the  dose  of  bismuth  in 
order  that  his  stomach  does  not  remain 
171 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

transparent  to  the  rays,  the  Ruhmkorff  coll. 
After  this  the  patient's  stomach  is  proceeded 
with. 

Dr.  Comandon  set  a  new  precedent  in 
the  producing  of  these  films.  The  studio 
scene  was  divided  into  two  sections.  In  the 
first  the  regulation  motion-picture  camera, 
equipped  with  a  quartz  lens,  was  stood  and 
focused  through  the  opening  in  the  parti- 
tion, which  was  dressed  with  a  fluorescent 
screen.  This  screen  was  coated  with  calcium 
tungstate  in  order  to  affect  the  luminous 
radiation  in  such  a  way  as  to  reduce  the 
exposure. 

In  the  middle  of  the  other  section  the 
Crookes  lens  was  located  and  the  object  was 
placed  in  position  midway  between  the  tube 
and  screen. 

Mico-cinematography  makes  it  possible 
to  descend  the  surgical  ladder.  One  film  I 
saw  not  so  long  ago  showed  blood  corpuscles 
as  large  as  dinner-plates.  These  were  at 
war  with  dozens  of  large  microbes,  which 
kept  hitting  back  at  each  other. 

Lieut-Col.  Sims  Woodhead,  professor 
of  pathology  in  the  Cambridge  University, 
recently  delivered  a  motion-picture  lecture 
before  the  British  Royal  Army  Medical 

172 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Corps  on  "Microbes  Worse  than  Wounds." 
The  first  film,  "The  Blood  Circulation," 
depicted  the  path  of  blood  in  a  tadpole's 
tail.  The  second  picture,  "Relapsing  Fever," 
dealt  with  the  injection  of  bacteria  in  blood 
and  showed  the  sperochaetae  swiftly  gaining 
in  volume. 

To  quote  from  my  book,  "Making  the 
Movies" :  "The  lens  of  the  motion-picture 
camera  is  focused  through  a  microscope 
which  magnifies  objects  from  two  thousand 
to  seventy-six  million  times.  The  French 
companies  who  make  a  specialty  of  the  work 
have  fully  equipped  laboratories  in  which 
trained  scientists  prepare  subjects  for  the 
film.  Their  work  necessitates  plenty  of 
research,  while  much  patience  is  involved  in 
taking  the  films  themselves. 

"The  most  exasperating  thing  about 
germs  and  microbes  is  that  they  persist  in 
moving  about  in  groups  and  have  no  respect 
for  the  limited  area  covered  by  the  camera's 
lens. 

"The  photographer,  to  avoid  this,  gener- 
ally contrives  to  have  them  appear  against 
a  black  background.  The  light  at  the  sides 
is  of  two  thousand  candle-power  and  this 
is  of  only  just  sufficient  strength  for  photo- 

173 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

graphic  purposes.  To  make  it  stronger 
would  kill  all  of  the  objects.  The  rays  of 
this  light  are  conveyed  to  the  lens  of  the 
microscope." 

In  1912,  Dr.  T.  H.  Weisenburg,  pro- 
fessor of  clinical  neurology  at  the  Medico- 
Chirurgical  College,  Philadelphia,  presented 
five  reels  of  films  dealing  with  nervous  and 
mental  diseases,  at  the  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine. The  leading  picture  introduced  twenty- 
six  patients  for  the  purpose  of  demonstrat- 
ing dementia  praecox,  which  was  followed 
by  cases  of  maniac  depressive  insanity, 
chronic  mania,  paranoid  states,  paresis  and 
melancholia. 

As  Dr.  Weisenburg  said:  "We  can  take 
pictures  showing  the  action  of  the  heart  on 
the  surface  of  the  body.  We  can  show  how 
in  pneumonia  a  man  breathes  with  but  one 
lung.  In  fact,  there  is  almost  no  field  of 
medicine  which  we  can  not  touch  with  the 
motion-picture  machine. 

"It  is  an  expensive  process,  of  course; 
but  the  expense  is  more  than  compensated 
for  in  the  results  obtained." 


174 


XXXV 

DENTISTRY  BY  THE  FILM 

'  I  'O  Dr.  Cunningham  belongs  the  credit 
*  for  opening  the  door  to  dentistry.  As 
founder  of  the  Children's  Dental  League, 
he  realized  that  slides  and  lecturers  were  out 
of  date.  He  wanted  something  so  strikingly 
convincing  that  the  lesson  would  go  right 
home.  Dr.  Cunningham  could  have  doubt- 
less obtained  some  victims  of  bad  teeth  and 
paraded  them  in  circus  fashion,  but  this  plan 
did  not  please  him.  The  scientific  films  he 
saw  at  the  International  Hygienic  Congress, 
in  Paris,  convinced  him  that  a  film  would 
enable  him  to  cover  much  territory  at  once, 
show  the  harm  wrought  by  defective  teeth, 
at  close  range,  and  cover  the  subject  thor- 
oughly in  a  short  time.  The  cost,  propor- 
tionately, would  not  prove  prohibitive. 

He  approached  a  leading  French  film- 
producing  concern  having  a  large  laboratory 
for  the  production  of  educational  subjects, 
and,  arrangements  being  satisfactory  to  both 

12  175 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

parties,  the  producing  of  "How  to  Save  a 
Nation's  Teeth"  was  commenced.  A  whole 
year  was  consumed  in  the  making,  yet  the 
net  results  were  only  two  thousand  feet  of 
film.  But  that  seemingly  insignificant  picture 
depicted  teeth  as  they  grow  from  birth  to 
adult  age.  The  advent  of  the  former  stage 
was  covered  by  the  Symington  radiograph. 
The  lower  and  upper  molars  were  shown 
working.  This  was  done  with  the  aid  of 
clever  models  and  still  photographs.  The 
second  reel  was  given  over  to  the  ravages, 
for  which  microbes  are  responsible,  arising 
from  decayed  teeth. 

Sweden  was  the  first  country  to  be 
honored  with  the  film,  which  made  its  debut 
before  the  Ministers  of  Civic  Affairs  and 
Education.  For  not  holding  the  exhibition 
in  a  proper  motion-picture  theater,  the  police 
arrested  Dr.  Cunningham  and  imposed  a 
fine.  So  he  looked  about  for  such  a  place 
and  hired  the  Brunkelergsteaten,  the  most 
pretentious  photoplay  theater  in  Sweden. 
Here  the  film  was  shown  to  the  press  and 
four  hundred  delegates  of  the  International 
Federation. 

Dr.  Cunningham  produced  the  film  for 
general  educational  purposes,  and  not  with 

176 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  idea  of  teaching  dentistry  to  those  in 
the  profession. 

Human  interest  was  imparted  to  the 
film  by  following  it  up  with  a  picture  show- 
ing teeth-drill  in  a  Swedish  school. 


177 


XXXVI 

FIGHTING  TUBERCULOSIS  BY  THE  FILM 

*  I  'HE  motion  picture  has  a  mission  besides 
^  providing  wholesome  entertainment. 
That  mission  is  to  act  as  a  crusader,  and  in 
fighting  tuberculosis  it  has  not  proved  disap- 
pointing. 

In  presenting  facts  it  sometimes  pays  to 
serve  them  up  highly  spiced,  and  especially 
is  this  the  case  at  the  regular  motion-picture 
theater.  Folks  go  to  be  entertained,  and  if 
the  lesson  intended  can  be  indirectly  brought 
home  to  them,  it  is  more  satisfactory  than 
the  direct  method,  which  is  resented  because 
no  attempt  is  made  to  disguise  the  teaching 
element. 

The  Edison  Company  produced,  in 
co-operation  with  the  Anti-Tuberculosis 
Association,  a  photoplay  entitled  "The  Price 
of  Human  Lives,"  the  success  attained  by 
which  encouraged  the  Edison  Company  to 
produce  another  propaganda  picture,  "The 
Temple  of  Moloch,"  this  time  under  the 

178 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

auspices  of  the  National  Association  for  the 
Study  and  Prevention  of  Tuberculosis. 

While  both  of  these  productions  were 
circulated  through  the  usual  channels,  copies 
of  same  were  afterwards  acquired  by  the 
Cincinnati  Branch  of  the  Anti-Tuberculosis 
League  to  further  the  sale  of  Red  Cross 
Christmas  seals. 

The  films  render  able  assistance  in  educa- 
tional campaigns  conducted  by  local  societies, 
and  may  be  hired  from  a  film  exchange  for 
a  nominal  fee. 

We  will  now  pass  to  some  direct  cam- 
paigns which  have  borne  fruit.  No  fault 
may  be  found  with  the  direct  method  when 
such  exhibitions  .are  held  free  of  charge, 
and  the  Atlanta  Anti-Tuberculosis  Associa- 
tion observed  this  factor  in  conducting  a 
city  health  campaign.  The  films  showed 
how  the  existing  conditions  in  Atlanta  could 
be  altered  to  make  it  a  more  desirable  city 
from  a  health  standpoint.  The  pictures 
were  lectured  to  by  several  well-known  local 
physicians.  As  a  relief,  several  comedy 
reels  were  presented. 

The  exhibitions  were  spread  over  five 
weeks,  a  show  being  given  for  three  consecu- 
tive nights  in  a  different  section  of  the  city. 
179 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  tuberculosis  movement  in  Great 
Britain  has  been  assisted  by  two  films; 
namely,  "The  Fight  Against  Consumption" 
and  "The  White  Demon  of  Consumption." 
The  former  was  first  shown  at  a  recent  con- 
ference of  the  Prevention  of  Consumption 
held  in  London. 

The  latter  was  supervised  by  the 
Woman's  Imperial  Health  Association,  and 
we  may  profit  by  the  experiences  of  the 
Bristol  Health  Board  in  regard  to  the  extent 
of  exhibitor  co-operation.  The  medical 
officer  connected  with  same  wrote  thirty-five 
local,  motion-picture  exhibitors,  twelve  of 
whom  replied.  Most  were  willing  to  show 
the  film  free  of  charge,  provided  they  could 
obtain  the  production  at  the  same  time  as 
their  competitor,  and  to  this  stipulation  the 
Health  Board  agreed.  To  carry  out  same 
they  hired  messengers  to  take  the  film  from 
one  theater  to  the  next.  The  rental  charged 
by  the  Woman's  Imperial  Health  Associa- 
tion was  $15  weekly. 


180 


XXXVII 

"BETTER  BABIES "  MOVIE  CAMPAIGN 

'  I  'HE  home  in  which  motion  pictures  are 
*•  not  discussed  is  becoming  rarer  every 
day.  This  tremendously  popular  form  of 
entertainment  is  ever  spreading  its  tentacles 
— desirable  ones  albeit — and,  as  a  natural 
consequence,  the  motion  picture  is  to-day 
playing  an  important  part  in  our  national 
life. 

All  this  tends  to  make  the  motion  picture 
an  even  more  powerful  propaganda  weapon 
than  it  was  before.  It  is  a  family  institution 
to  which  may  be  attributed  the  success 
achieved  by  the  several  "Better  Babies" 
campaigns  which  have  been  conducted  by 
this  eloquent  medium. 

To  commence  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ladder,  Chicago's  Health  Department  some- 
time ago  inaugurated  a  motion-picture  cam- 
paign for  better  birth  registration.  The 
scenario,  "Somebody's  Birth  Certificate," 
written  by  Dr.  C.  St.  Clair  Drake,  dealt 

181 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

with  the  stumbling-blocks  faced  by  a  man 
because  his  parents  neglected  to  register  his 
birth. 

The  Children's  Aid  Society  once  used 
a  series  of  films,  the  most  effective  of  which 
showed  some  flies  attracted  by  a  baby's 
bottle  lying  on  the  table.  They  settled  on 
the  nipple,  after  which  a  "close-up"  of  a 
fly  appeared.  Then  the  insect  was  subjected 
to  a  microscopic  examination,  the  germs  of 
diseases  which  he  carried  by  his  filthiness 
being  exposed.  The  mother  next  entered 
the  room  cuddling  her  offspring.  The"  pic- 
ture concluded  by  her  giving  the  baby  the 
nipple. 

The  women  and  children  comprising  the 
audience  could  not  restrain  an  exclamation 
of  horror.  What  more  convincing  picture 
could  there  be  than  that? 

During  New  York  City's  "Baby  Week" 
in  1913,  Katherine  Eggleston,  of  the  Pub- 
licity Committee,  while  not  neglecting  the 
newspapers,  paid  particular  attention  to 
motion  pictures.  To  this  end  she  saw  that 
the  several  animated  newspapers  did  not 
neglect  to  cover  the  parades,  outings,  illus- 
trated teachings  and  prize  baby  shows. 

There  was  a  Nursing  Exhibition  held  at 

182 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Glasgow,  Scotland,  early  in  January,  1914, 
a  feature  of  same  being  the  motion-picture 
mothercraft  lessons.  The  following  titles 
will  afford  some  idea  of  the  subjects  treated: 
"How  to  Wash  and  Dress  Baby;"  "Tuber- 
culosis;" "Heedless  Mother;"  "Bacterio- 
logical Views  of  Milk;"  "Different  Food 
Effects  on  Teeth;"  "Do  Not  Obtain  Your 
Experience  at  Baby's  Cost;"  "Nipple  with 
Bacteria  Attached;"  "The  Wrong  and  Right 
Baby's  Carriage;"  "How  to  Help  a  Baby 
Upstairs." 

One  of  our  leading  producing  organi- 
zations recently  put  out  a  series  of 
"fillers."  The  pictures  were  shown  at 
the  regular  theaters  in  the  ordinary  way, 
thereby  reaching  more  people  than  if  shown 
under  special  auspices.  The  latter  phase  of 
publicity  was  by  no  means  neglected,  for 
the  co-operation  of  the  Children's  Bureau 
of  the  Department  of  Labor  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  was  secured.  New  York  City's- 
1915  "Baby  Week"  was  augmented  by  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Merchants* 
Association,  the  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs,  the  Baby  Welfare  Association,  the 
Sage  Foundation  and  the  International  Pure 
Milk  and  Food  Association. 
183 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  material  was  furnished  by  Dr. 
Roger  Dennett,  the  famous  infant  specialist. 
Each  successive  step  is  shown — bathing, 
feeding,  dressing,  measuring  and  weighing 
the  baby.  Then  come  the  mental  tests,  and 
normal  children  are  put  through  the  senses 
of  smell,  touch,  taste,  sound  and  sight. 

The  Missouri  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs,  in  conjunction  with  the  State  Board 
of  Health,  not  so  long  ago  paid  particular 
attention  to  the  baby  problem.  With  this 
object  in  view  they  purchased  reels  depict- 
ing such  subjects  as  insanitary  and  sanitary 
dairies,  the  proper  way  of  handling  milk, 
how  to  care  for  the  baby  and  the  trans- 
mission of  disease. 

It  was  possible  for  any  interested  town 
to  hire  the  reels  by  communicating  with 
Mrs.  H.  R.  Shands,  chairman  of  the  Health 
Committee,  Jackson,  Missouri. 

Those  diseases  peculiar  to  children — 
smallpox,  measles  and  diphtheria — were 
traced  to  their  source  in  a  graphic  series  of 
reels  prepared  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Kansas  Board  of  Health.  Preventive 
methods  likewise  came  in  for  attention.  In 
the  telling  of  each  subject  a  story  was 
unfolded. 

181 


XXXVIII 

HOSPITAL  FUNDS  THROUGH  A  FILM 
"  VISIT  " 

I  HAVE  often  wondered  why  hospitals  do 
*  not  adopt  the  most  effective  medium  in 
order  to  secure  funds.  Need  I  add  that  the 
motion  picture  is  the  one  I  have  in  mind? 
It  is  not  easy  to  persuade  people  to  visit 
the  hospital  to  show  them  how  badly  it 
needs  financial  assistance,  and  even  though 
many  folks  prominent  in  local  charity  work 
may  be  attracted,  the  masses  have  yet  to  be 
reached.  And  their  small  contributions  are 
not  to  be  despised. 

Newspaper  advertising  seldom  produces 
the  desired  results,  for  the  announcements 
seem  unconvincing  in  cold  print. 

Perhaps  a  better  plan  is  to  inaugurate 
a  "Tag  Day,"  yet  the  same  fails  to  induce 
the  "Man  from  Missouri"  to  loosen  up.  It 
has  got  to  be  proved  to  him  that  the  hospital 
actually  needs  the  money,  and  as  one  out  of 
every  five  persons  in  the  country  visits  the 

185 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

photoplay  theater  at  least  once  weekly,  this 
is  the  logical  medium. 

The  motion  picture  tells  the  truth  as  no 
other  medium  can;  in  fact,  it  is  next  best  to 
paying  an  actual  visit.  Why  not,  therefore, 
have  a  film  taken? 

The  Mercy  Hospital  of  Kansas  City, 
Missouri,  recently  had  a  film  produced  so 
as  to  raise  funds  for  erecting  a  larger  home. 
In  the  film  are  many  crippled  little  children 
formed  in  lines  waiting  for  their  turn  of 
treatment  at  the  hospital's  clinic.  Long 
rows  of  overcrowded  beds  and  inadequate 
facilities  for  surgical  operations  and  treat- 
ment also  tell  the  truth  only  too  well. 

Suppose  the  hospital  is  put  in  the  movies, 
what  would  the  cost  be?  It  is  hard  for  me 
to  answer  this  question  offhand,  because 
everything  depends  on  the  character  and 
length  of  the  production.  But  the  most 
inexpensive,  and  at  the  same  time  most 
convenient  to  the  exhibitor,  is  the  one-reel 
subject.  The  best  kind  of  film  is  that  which 
"takes"  folks  through  the  hospital,  as  then 
no  expense  is  involved  in  production  other 
than  the  bare  necessities.  The  average  price 
is  fifty  cents  per  foot,  so,  assuming  the  pro- 
duction is  a  one-reeler — one  thousand  feet — 
186 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  cost  would  amount  to  $500.  But,  as  at 
least  one  positive  will  have  to  be  made  from 
the  negative,  a  further  outlay  of  $100  is 
incurred. 

I  know  that  $600  is  a  lot  of  money  to 
spend  in  raising  funds,  but  the  increased 
funds  that  should  accrue  will  justify  the 
outlay. 

The  Mercy  Hospital  arranged  with  the 
Advertising  Film  Company,  on  a  fifty-fifty 
basis,  to  have  their  film  shown  in  conjunc- 
tion with  several  one-reel  photoplays  in  all 
of  the  theaters  in  Kansas  City  and  vicinity. 

If  the  above  plan  is  adopted,  the  pro- 
ceeds are  not  all,  for  spectators  have 
received  full  value  for  their  money,  and 
those  who  are  favorably  impressed  will 
contribute  to  the  fund. 

Another  plan  is  to  persuade  local  exhib- 
itors to  show  the  film  free  at  their  regular 
performances,  and  allow  fund  collectors  to 
go  around  the  audience  after  the  picture  has 
been  shown. 

Local  newspaper  men  should  be  invited 
to  attend  the  production  of  the  film,  and 
later  when  same  is  released  for  public 
exhibition.  Much  valuable  publicity  is 
gained  in  this  way. 

187 


XXXIX 

THE  "  FIGHTING  INFANTILE  PARALYSIS  " 
FILM 

'  I  'HE  infantile  paralysis  outbreak  which 
•*•  struck  New  York  during  1916  resulted 
in  children  being  prohibited  from  visiting 
photoplay  theaters.  Whatever  the  exhibit- 
ors' feelings  on  the  subject,  the  New  York 
City  Board  of  Health  could  not  complain  of 
lack  of  co-operation,  for  the  exhibitors, 
almost  to  a  body,  exhibited  slides  suggesting 
preventive  measures  against  the  disease. 

The  producers  were  no  less  alert.  Prac- 
tically all  the  animated  newspapers  con- 
tained views  of  the  principal  causes  that  con- 
tributed to  the  spreading  of  the  epidemic. 

The  Universal  Company  went  further. 
At  an  expense  of  $4,700  they  produced  a 
one-reel  picture,  "Fighting  Infantile  Paraly- 
sis," in  co-operation  with  the  New  York 
Board  of  Health.  Some  of  the  scenes  were 
filmed  under  the  supervision  of  an  expert  at 
the  Rockefeller  Institute.  For  other  material 

188 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  camera  man  worked  with  two  health 
inspectors  as  far  apart  as  South  Brooklyn 
and  the  Bronx.  The  Willard  Parker, 
Kingston  Avenue,  Seabreeze  and  Neurolog- 
ical Hospitals  were  also  visited. 

In  the  picture  the  affected  territories 
were  shown  with  scenes  of  uncovered  gar- 
bage-cans, near  which  children  and  cats  play; 
fruit  covered  with  fly-specks  and  touched  by 
many  hands  before  being  finally  eaten;  dirty 
and  crowded  narrow  streets  lined  with  insan- 
itary push-carts,  and  how  the  street  depart- 
ment takes  care  of  the  garbage  and  flushes 
the  streets. 

Scenes  were  filmed  at  the  Neurological 
Institute  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the 
methods  adopted  by  Dr.  Kaplan  in  handling 
the  disease — douching  the  ears  and  nose, 
and  boracic  acid  gargle,  to  name  two  typical 
incidents. 

Other  vital  features  included  in  this 
highly  instructive  picture  were  the  precau- 
tions taken  by  the  Bureau  of  Infectious 
Diseases,  the  Quarantine  officials  and  the 
United  States  Public  Health  Service.  In 
this  connection  monkeys  were  experimented 
upon  in  order  to  ascertain  how  and  what 
causes  infantile  paralysis  to  spread.  Chil- 

189 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

dren  were  also  shown  leaving  the  city  for 
the  country  by  boat  and  rail. 

Nor  must  I  neglect  to  mention  the  two 
maps — one  depicting  the  plague-spots  of 
New  York  City;  a  larger  one  showing  other 
affected  parts  of  the  country.  The  snappy 
subtitles,  presented  in  English,  Italian  and 
Jewish,  of  the  "Don'ts"  kind,  were  com- 
posed by  Dr.  O.  M.  Leiser,  of  the  New 
York  Board  of  Health. 

Fifteen  prints  were  struck  off  from  the 
negative  so  that  it  could  be  shown  at  New 
York's  eight  hundred  motion-picture  thea- 
ters. Thirty-five  prints  also  went  the  rounds 
of  the  several  thousand  theaters  from  Maine 
to  California. 

But  the  co-operation  of  a  powerful  eve- 
ning newspaper  made  it  possible  to  reach 
an  even  larger  audience.  Several  two-ton 
motor-trucks  such  as  are  employed  for 
army  transport  work  were  obtained  and 
equipped  for  motion-picture  exhibitions. 
The  translucent  screen,  five  feet  wide  by 
four  deep,  was  placed  at  the  rear  end.  The 
current  for  the  projection  machine,  provided 
with  a  short-focus  lens,  was  supplied  by  two 
calcium  tanks. 

Each  motor-truck  contained  a  lecturer 
190 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

from  the  Board  of  Health,  who  discoursed 
while  the  picture  was  being  shown  to  spec- 
tators. 

It  is  significant  that  other  States  and 
towns — South  Carolina  State  Board  of 
Health  and  Somerville,  New  Jersey,  to 
name  to — applied  for  copies  of  the  produc- 
tion. 


13  191 


XL 

CONDUCTING   A   PUBLIC    HEALTH    CAM- 
PAIGN  BY  MOTION  PICTURES 

""THE  first  spell  of  hot  weather  is  the  time 
•*•  for  the  municipal  authorities  to  com- 
mence their  public  health  campaigns,  and  the 
most  effective  medium  is  the  motion  picture. 
I  need  only  refer  to  some  of  the  results 
achieved  in  this  connection,  to  suggest  ways 
and  means. 

As  is  perhaps  logical,  New  York  City 
has  taken  the  lead.  The  first  step  in  the 
"clean-up"  campaign,  for  which  Commis- 
sioner Coldwater  was  responsible,  was 
arranging  with  eight  hundred  exhibitors  to 
show  advance  slides  in  their  theaters.  These 
slides  drew  attention  to  such  subjects  as 
flies,  typhoid  fever  and  care  of  the  baby. 

This  was  followed  up  by  twenty  free 
motion-picture  shows  in  the  parks  and  on 
the  recreation  piers  situated  in  New  York 
City.  The  program  in  each  case  consisted 
of  four  reels  of  the  sugar-coated  kind,  bear- 
192 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

ing  the  following  titles:  "The  Story  of  a 
Consumptive,"  "The  Production  and  Han- 
dling of  Milk,"  "The  City  Beautiful"  and 
"The  Little  Cripple."  Judging  by  the  inter- 
est manifested  by  spectators,  the  stories  got 
across,  sure  enough. 

Boston,  too,  inaugurated  a  campaign 
along  similar  lines,  with  this  exception — the 
programs  were  not  confined  to  health  films. 
The  other  subjects  shown  were  current  news 
pictorials,  refined  comedies  and  animated 
cartoons,  which  resulted  in  increased  atten- 
dances, the  average  nightly  audience  being 
from  eight  to  ten  thousand. 

The  exhibitions  were  arranged  by  the 
Committee  on  Park  Shows. 

St.  Louis  has  adopted  the  plan  for  two 
successive  seasons.  Each  park  playground 
was  equipped  with  a  portable  projection 
booth  and  a  similarly  portable  screen,  the 
gas-pipe  frames  making  it  possible  to  con- 
struct same  with  practically  no  delay.  This 
screen  was  located  fifty-four  feet  away  from 
the  front  row  of  seats,  but  this  space  was 
not  wasted,  as  it  came  in  handy  to  accom- 
modate children  on  busy  nights. 

The  mixed  programs  appealed  especially 
to  the  foreign  element,  who,  for  lack  of 
193 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

funds,  prefer  to  spend  their  evenings  in 
stuffy  tenements.  The  performances  com- 
menced at  7 145  and  concluded  about  two 
hours  later. 

These  free,  open-air  exhibitions,  I  regret 
to  say,  are  apt  to  antagonize  the  average 
exhibitor.  This  occurred  at  first  both  at 
Cincinnati  and  Nashville,  but,  instead  of 
taking  patrons  away,  these  free  shows 
actually  produced  extra  business,  converting, 
as  they  did,  many  folk  to  the  movie  habit. 

It  is  a  regrettable  fact  that  both  forms 
of  entertainment  come  in  conflict,  for  those 
to  whom  a  dime  is  nothing  will  favor  the 
regular  show,  and  consequently  the  hygienic 
pictures  fail  to  reach  so  many  people. 

It  would  not  be  worth  while  to  hold  the 
exhibitions  during  the  morning  or  afternoon, 
since  the  majority  of  the  population  is 
otherwise  occupied.  Perhaps  more  satis- 
faction could  be  obtained  were  the  co-opera- 
tion of  the  local  exhibitors  sought. 

I  know  of  a  showman  in  Marshville, 
North  Carolina,  who,  of  his  own  initiative, 
arranged  a  summer  program.  He  set  aside 
one  night  weekly  for  the  showing  of  several 
health  pictures,  which  included  the  following 
subjects:  "The  Mosquito,"  "The  War  on 
194 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the   Mosquito,"   "The  Fly  Pest,"   "Life  in 
Our  Ponds"  and  "Boil  Your  Water." 

I  am  certain  that  it  would  not  be  hard 
to  prevail  upon  the  exhibitor  to  do  this, 
especially  as  he  is  assisting  the  community, 
and  even  were  he  not  thus  disposed,  perhaps 
he  would  consent  to  run  an  occasional  pic- 
ture of  this  kind  in  his  regular  program. 

What  stands  in  the  way  of  the  wide- 
spread adoption  of  this  medium  is  the 
scarcity  of  suitable  subjects  available,  but 
even  this  fact  need  not  deter  one  from 
carrying  out  one's  plans,  as  a  film  can  be 
produced  along  the  desired  lines. 

The  Massachusetts  State  Board  of 
Health,  for  instance,  has  had  two  films 
produced,  the  stories  of  which  relate  to 
unhealthy  living  in  its  chief  forms,  and  the 
harmful  effects  arising  from  same.  The 
photoplays  are  entitled  "Bringing  It  Home," 
and  "In  His  Father's  Footsteps,"  and  the 
Board  is  prepared  to  loan  these  productions 
and  supply  a  competent  lecturer  without  pay 
ment,  to  any  organization  requiring  same. 

Children  can  not  be  interested  in  health 
and  sanitation  by  the  lecture  or  the  litera- 
ture  routes,   but  show   them   a   film   on   the 
subject  and  they  will  readily  understand. 
195 


XLI 

AMERICANIZING  FOREIGNERS  BY 
MOTION  PICTURES 

W7HOEVER  called  America  the  "melt- 
**  ing-pot"  was  right,  for  there  is  no 
other  country  so  cosmopolitan  in  character. 
It  is  no  light  task  to  merge  all  the  different 
nationalities  into  one,  but  the  greatest 
obstacle  of  all  is  the  difference  of  language. 
English,  therefore,  loses  its  force;  there 
must  be  a  more  powerful  medium  than  the 
printed  page  and  the  spoken  word.  I  have 
that  medium — it  is  the  motion  picture,  which 
appeals  to  the  eye. 

The  Ford  Motor  Car  Company  has 
found  it  without  an  equal  in  increasing  the 
efficiency  of  the  foreigners  in  its  employ. 
The  motion-picture  department  is  in  charge 
of  Frank  Cody,  who  loans  to  the  Detroit 
night  schools  films  dealing  with  factory 
processes. 

The  St.  Louis  municipal  authorities  made 
use  of  the  motion  picture  some  time  ago 
196 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

to  educate  ignorant  foreigners  and  their 
offspring  in  regard  to  the  main  features  of 
St.  Louis  in  particular  and  America  in 
general,  the  pictures  depicting  St.  Louis, 
New  York  Zoo  and  American  industries. 
The  films  were  exhibited  free  in  such  suit- 
able places  as  a  Catholic  church,  police 
station,  Jewish  synagogue  and  a  public 
school.  On  the  first  evening  over  ten 
thousand  children  of  Italian,  German, 
Greek,  Irish  and  Russian  parents  were 
present,  along  with  their  guardians. 

The  National  Americanization  Commit- 
tee recently  held  a  meeting  in  Philadelphia 
in  order  to  stamp  out  "hyphenated  Ameri- 
canism." At  this  important  gathering  was 
presented  a  series  of  films  which  dealt  with 
the  progress  of  the  average  immigrant,  from 
the  time  he  lands  on  Ellis  Island  until  he 
becomes  a  full-fledged  American  citizen. 
The  exhibition  was  given  in  the  ballroom  of 
one  of  the  members'  homes.  The  operator's 
booth  was  placed  in  the  loft,  the  projection 
machine  being  focused  on  the  screen  at  the 
lower  end. 

But  Pawtucket,  Rhode  Island,  deserves 
the  greatest  credit  for  putting  the  motion 
picture  to  its  greatest  use.  It  is  estimated 

197 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

that,  of  the  105,000  residents  in  Pawtucket 
and  Central  Falls,  nine-tenths  are  foreigners. 
The  Rev.  J.  D.  Dingwall  has  established  a 
Civic  Theater,  which  has  been  praised  by 
such  prominent  persons  as  the  Governor  of 
Rhode  Island,  the  Rhode  Island  Commis- 
sioner of  Education  and  the  president  of 
the  North  American  Civic  League  for 
Immigrants. 

There  is  nothing  commercial  about  this 
theater;  it  is  mainly  supported  by  the  Amer- 
ican-born inhabitants  of  the  two  towns, 
foreigners  being  admitted  free. 

The  chief  difficulty  at  first  experienced 
— the  theater  has  now  been  running  for 
more  than  two  years — was  securing  a  reg- 
ular program  of  suitable  pictures — pictures 
that  were  educating  as  well  as  entertaining. 
The  tests  made  in  this  direction  showed 
that  war  and  Western  subjects  were  greatly 
appreciated,  but  the  Civic  Theater  carried 
out  its  ideals  by  including  in  its  programs 
historical,  biographical,  sociological,  hygienic 
and  scenic  subjects. 

Another   difficulty   was    the   explanatory 

matter    being    in    English.       At    first    the 

motion-picture  manufacturers  were  asked  to 

translate    their   English    titles    into    Polish, 

198 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Italian,  Syrian,  Hebrew,  etc.,  but  the  request 
was  too  impracticable  to  accede  to. 

The  Civic  Committee,  however,  has  sur- 
mounted the  obvious  difficulty  by  engaging 
several  interpreters,  one  for  each  important 
language,  who  explain  in  advance  the  gist 
of  the  subtitles.  Each  one  is  given  five 
minutes  for  his  turn. 


199 


XLH 

INDUSTRIAL  USES  OF  THE  MOTION 
PICTURE 

'  I  'HE  most  striking  feature  about  the 
•*•  motion  picture  is  its  versatility. 

We  have  all  to  begin  once,  if  we  are  to 
succeed  in  life,  and  hardest  of  all  is  select- 
ing a  congenial  vocation.  Many  a  young 
man  is  like  driftwood;  he  simply  enters  a 
trade  without  knowing  in  the  least  whether 
or  not  it  will  prove  to  his  liking.  After  a 
few  months  he  is  through  and  tries  another 
job.  All  this  valuable  time  is  wasted  and 
the  youth  gets  discouraged  before  he  has 
hardly  begun,  yet  if  he  could  be  but  shown 
beforehand  the  inner  workings  of  the  trades 
in  which  he  is  interested,  he  could  easily 
select  the  one  for  which  he  is  best  adapted, 
without  the  slightest  misstep. 

The  motion  picture,  appealing  as  it  does 

to    the    eye,    is    the    most    perfect    teacher 

extant.     This  medium  of  training  need  not 

be  confined  to  any  particular  trade,  though, 

200 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

of  course,  those  that  readily  lend  themselves 
to  visualized  treatment  prove  the  most 
effective. 

The  Bureau  of  Commercial  Economics 
has  the  subject  under  consideration,  and,  if 
plans  formulate,  trade-teaching  films  will  be 
shown  in  such  places  as  public  institutions, 
schools,  missions,  settlement  houses,  parks 
and  playgrounds.  The  expenses  will  be  pro- 
vided by  endowment  funds  and  annuities. 

The  Carnegie  Institute  of  Technology, 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  teaches  the  steel 
industry  by  motion  pictures.  You  may  judge 
how  completely  the  subject  is  covered,  by 
the  title  of  the  pictures:  "From  Iron  Ore 
to  Finished  Steel."  The  series  first  takes 
us  to  the  Meseba  district  of  Minnesota, 
where  the  largest  ore  mine,  "Hell  Rust,"  is 
situated.  We  are  shown  the  mammoth 
steam-shovels  digging  ore,  which  is  shipped 
on  large  freighters  at  Duluth  and  unloaded 
at  Conneaut,  Ohio.  After  this  a  visit  is 
paid  to  Farrell,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  works 
of  the  United  States  Steel  Corporation  vis- 
ited. Then  follow  all  the  details  of  steel- 
making,  as  well  as  the  by-products. 

The  schedule  arranged  by  the  College 
of  Mechanical  and  Electrical  Engineering, 

201 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Lexington,  Kentucky,  for  its  motion-picture 
course  includes  the  following  subjects:  "The 
Natural  Resources  of  the  Canadian  Rocky 
Mountains,"  "The  Construction  and  Opera- 
tion of  the  Panama  Canal,"  "Electrification 
of  the  Butte,  Anaconda  &  Pacific  Rail- 
road," "Motor  Construction  and  Direct 
Motor  Drive,"  "Schenectady  Works  of  the 
General  Electric  Company,"  "Pittsfield 
Works  of  the  General  Electric  Company," 
"Manufacture  of  Curtis  Steam-turbines," 
"Mining  of  Ore,"  "Making  Wire  and  Wire 
Fencing,"  "Manufacture  of  Pipe  Tubes  and 
Pipe  Fittings,"  "Use  of  Concrete  in  Road- 
making,"  "Manufacture  of  Steel,  Tin  Plate 
and  Tin  Products,"  "America  in  the  Mak- 
ing," "Playground  and  Welfare  Work," 
"Carnegie  Steel  Company,"  "Welfare  Work 
in  Mining  Districts." 

The  Prussian  Ministry  of  Education, 
before  the  war,  introduced  the  motion  pic- 
ture as  an  instructor  in  the  high  schools. 
One  of  the  lectures  given  by  Herr  Kessner, 
the  constructional  engineer  at  the  Royal 
High  Technical  School  of  Charlottenburg, 
dealt  with  "The  World  Power  of  Iron." 
The  films  accompanying  same  were  taken  in 
the  Krupp  works. 

202 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Films  have  also  been  taken  of  the  steel- 
works of  William  Jessop  &  Sons,  of  Shef- 
field, England,  and  as  this  concern  manu- 
factures everything  from  pen  nibs  to  huge 
castings  for  battleships,  much  ground  is 
covered.  The  pictures  proved  highly  instruc- 
tive to  members  of  the  Bradford  Engineer- 
ing Society,  when  exhibited  in  connection 
with  a  lecture. 

Architecture  has  been  extensively  dealt 
with  in  Great  Britain  by  the  Architecture 
Association.  The  film-lecture  course  com- 
prises the  following  subjects:  process  of 
making  hand-made  bricks,  the  quarrying  and 
working  of  Portland  stone,  manufacture  of 
a  ferro-concrete  pile,  complete  operation  of 
making  a  door,  method  of  producing  fibrous 
plaster  work. 

The  experiences  of  the  association  may 
be  summarized  as  follows: 

"(i)  It  appears  to  us  that,  in  order  to 
be  of  use  in  a  technical  institution,  the  films 
must  be  specially  prepared  for  the  purpose, 
and  with  a  full  recognition  of  educational 
requirements.  They  must  comply  with  the 
fundamental  requirement  that,  where  indus- 
trial operations  are  shown,  the  whole  of  the 
process  shall  be  displayed  in  a  manner  that 

203 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

will  make  clear  to  the  student  the  exact 
nature  of  the  technical  operations. 

"(2)  The  pictures  must  be  supple- 
mented by  a  technical  description  given  by 
a  person  expert  in  the  subject  that  is  being 
illustrated. 

"(3)  The  film  must  be  shown  under 
conditions  that  will  enable  it  to  be  stopped 
when  required,  so  that  where  the  subject 
calls  for  a  fuller  explanation,  this  can  be 
given. 

"(4)  The  views  must  have  a  serious 
scientific  or  technical  interest.  A  film  which 
had  been  prepared  solely  to  entertain  or 
amuse  would  be  quite  unsuitable  for  use  in 
a  technical  institute. 

"We  beg  to  report  that  films  complying 
with  the  four  conditions  named  are  avail- 
able, and  could  be  suitably  used  for  facili- 
tating the  technical  study  of  building-trades 
work,  mechanical  engineering,  electrical 
engineering,  commerce  and  natural  science." 

The  European  war  has  presented  its 
labor  troubles,  particularly  in  regard  to 
finding  useful  occupations  for  cripples. 
Frank  B.  Gilbreth,  the  efficiency  expert,  has 
not  been  idle. 

As  all  cripples  can  not  be  classified  in 

204 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  same  group,  Mr.  Gilbreth  is  guided  by 
the  following  considerations:  Has  the  man 
been  engaged  in  mental  work?  If  so,  all 
is  well.  Has  the  man  been  accustomed  to 
physical  labor?  If  his  limbs  prevent  him 
continuing,  he  can  be  put  to  mental  work. 
Is  the  latter  incapable  of  mental  work?  If 
such  is  the  case,  the  man  must  be  put  to 
some  light  manual  occupation. 

His  films  show  men  engaged  in  various 
forms  of  physical  labor,  and  the  motions 
made  in  performing  each  operation  are 
shown  in  detail.  This  makes  it  possible  to 
determine  the  facilities  demanded  of  the 
human  limbs,  and  the  cripple,  in  due  time,, 
can  be  trained  to  use  his  artificial  limbs  to 
the  same  advantage. 

The  Bay  State  Street  Railway  Company 
now  shows  a  series  of  films  to  the  motormea 
and  conductors  in  their  employ,  at  the 
various  depots.  In  one  film,  motormen  are 
instructed  how  to  operate  a  car  properly. 
This,  in  the  main,  is  intended  for  the  new 
employee,  but  even  the  veteran  can  pick  up 
wrinkles.  A  third  picture  demonstrates  the 
right  manner  in  which  to  apply  first  aid  to 
injured  passengers.  These  pictures  were 
produced  to  serve  two  purposes.  One  was. 

205 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

to  reduce  the  number  of  injuries  to  the 
traveling  public,  which  would  result  in  a 
corresponding  decrease  in  the  number  of 
expensive  claims  jthey  have  to  meet.  At  the 
same  time  it  is  believed  that  there  will  be 
less  need  to  incur  expense  in  "repairing  cars 
and  other  rolling  stock,  when  fewer  acci- 
dents prevail. 

The  motion  picture  has  also  been  found 
invaluable  as  a  nerve  test  for  chauffeurs  and 
others  who  have  control  of  passenger  and 
traffic  vehicles.  The  driver  sits  in  the  car 
at  the  gearing-wheel  in  a  darkened  hall. 
The  automobile  is  a  stationary  one,  but  a 
contrivance  makes  it  appear  as  though  it  is 
proceeding  at  full  speed.  As  the  driver 
faces  the  screen,  he  first  sees  a  child  running 
in  his  direction.  At  the  crossing  a  wagon 
appears  and  it  looks  as  if  a  collision  is 
unavoidable.  A  pile  of  rock  now  suddenly 
appears,  and  the  driver  is  set  the  extremely 
difficult  task  of  acting  as  if  the  situation 
occurred  in  reality.  After  this  test  it  is 
apparent  whether  or  not  his  nerves  are 
defective.  The  films  invented  by  Professor 
Munsterberg  are  so  lifelike  that,  on  one 
occasion,  a  dog  attacked  the  screen  and  tore 
it  to  shreds. 

206 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 


EFFICIENCY    IN    MANUFACTURING    PLANTS. 

The  Vickers  Company,  who  possess  the 
largest  steel-plant  in  England,  have  under- 
taken the  production  of  motion  pictures  on 
an  imposing  scale.  They  have  three  objects 
in  view — to  conduct  experiments,  to  present 
mechanical  processes,  and  also  to  demon- 
strate in  a  clear  manner  the  workings  of 
complicated  or  cumbersome  machines.  Sev- 
eral of  the  subjects  have  been  included  in 
the  "Britain  Prepared"  film,  and,  although 
the  naval  censor  has  deleted  some  of  the 
confidential  details,  it  is  nevertheless  inter- 
esting to  the  layman  to  see  the  various 
munitions  of  war,  such  as  guns,  shells, 
engines,  submarines  and  battleships,  in  the 
making. 

The  motion  picture  is  used  to  show  the 
result  of  projectiles  on  armor-plate,  but  here 
it  has  been  necessary  to  speed  up  the  expo- 
sure, for  an  explosion  may  only  consume  five 
one-thousandths  part  of  a  second.  For 
this  reason  the  Bull  system,  which  produces 
from  nine  to  fifty  thousand  exposures  per 
second  instead  of  the  usual  sixteen,  has  been 
found  of  the  utmost  value. 

Dr.  Hanz  Goetz,  speaking  before  the 
14  207 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

German  Engineers'  Society,  said:  "By  illu- 
mulating  the  moving  object  with  regularly 
succeeding  electric  sparks,  and  photograph- 
ing on  a  film  moving  continuously  rather 
than  intermittently,  it  was  found  possible  to 
increase  the  number  of  exposures  to  two 
thousand  per  second.  For  engineering  pur- 
poses much  higher  frequencies  had  to  be 
used  than  Bull  obtained,  and  the  apparatus 
employed  differed  from  his  in  not  using  a 
mechanical  interrupter.  In  series  with  the 
illumulating  spark  gap  was  a  large  con- 
denser, and  in  parallel  with  it  a  small  one; 
the  large  condenser  is  charged  by  an  induc- 
tion machine,  and  when  it  is  discharged  the 
small  condenser  is  alternately  charged  and 
discharged  across  the  gap." 

In  connection  with  the  above,  Keith 
Jones,  an  Englishman,  has  invented  a  device 
which  enables  dynamite  explosions  to  be 
filmed  as  near  as  twenty-five  yards.  The 
camera,  however,  is  controlled  by  electricity, 
and  the  operator,  believing  in  safety  first, 
stations  himself  fully  a  mile  away. 

Once,  when  a  machine  gun  was  being 
tried  out  by  the  film,  a  close-up  appeared  of 
its  mechanism,  and  the  see'ers  noticed  that 
every  time  an  empty  cartridge-case  was 

208 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

ejected,  specks  of  dust  appeared.  For  a 
time  the  experts  were  puzzled,  but  they 
found  that  something  was  amiss  with  the 
cartridge,  which  resulted  in  the  bullet  lack- 
ing the  powerful  start.  The  fault  was  here- 
inafter remedied. 

A  manufacturer  may  have  tried  timing 
his  workmen  on  a  given  operation,  but  it 
is  exceedingly  doubtful  whether  he  has 
obtained  complete  satisfaction,  as  no  two 
mechanics  work  alike.  One  may  be  as 
skilled  as  the  other,  and  it  is  therefore  hard 
to  discover  the  incompetents.  The  stop- 
watch method  is  destructive  because  there  is 
no  way  of  sifting  out  the  underlying  faults. 

The  only  constructive  system  yet  dis- 
covered is  micro-motion  cinematography. 
The  manufacturer,  in  trying  out  this  method, 
must  make  film  tests  of  each  of  his 
employees. 

Perhaps  the  one  disadvantage  is  that  the 
mechanic  is  aware  that  he  is  being  tested, 
but  this  can  not  be  avoided,  and  I  rather 
doubt  whether  it  is  a  disadvantage  after  all. 
You  see,  the  man  will  put  forth  his  best 
efforts,  and  it  will  then  be  revealed  whether 
or  not  he  is  efficient.  As  there  are  sixteen 
separate  pictures,  or  "frames,"  as  they  are 

209 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

technically  named,  to  each  foot  of  film,  and 
each  "frame"  represents  an  exposure  of 
one-thirty-second  part  of  a  second,  sixteen 
separate  motions  are  recorded  each  half  of 
a  second.  Two  clocks  are  necessary  if  the 
experiments  are  to  prove  successful.  One 
should  be  an  ordinary  alarm-clock,  the  other 
of  the  made-to-order  kind.  Perhaps  the 
timepiece  invented  by  Frank  B.  Gilbreth,  of 
New  York,  is  the  most  suitable.  Mr.  Gil- 
breth's  clock  only  contains  one  hand,  which 
covers  the  dial  every  six  seconds.  The  time 
may  be  told  down  to  one-thousandth  part  of 
a  minute.  The  dial  contains  one  hundred 
parts,  each  of  which  is  further  separated 
into  one-fifth  divisions. 

The  alarm-clock  serves  to  show  the  time 
taken  in  completing  the  job,  but  the  latter 
enables  each  motion  to  be  timed.  These 
clocks  should  be  placed  on  a  table  or  bench 
so  that  they  are  filmed  at  close  range.  In 
order  to  give  the  workman  a  chance  to 
make  good,  all  his  tools  should  be  at  his 
elbow — preferably  on  a  rack  above. 

The  New  England  Butt  Company,  of 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  have  found  the 
micro-study  plan  thoroughly  dependable;  in 
fact,  I  might  go  so  far  as  to  cite  an  actual 

210 


instance.  One  operation,  at  this  braiding 
factory,  formerly  consuming  thirty-seven  and 
a  half  minutes,  is  now  performed  by  a  work- 
man in  eight  and  a  half  minutes. 

In  most  tests,  the  efficiency  engineer, 
after  the  films  have  been  developed,  has 
studied  each  "frame"  through  a  magnifying- 
glass.  He  has  then  been  able  to  detect  the 
difference  between  a  necessary  motion  and 
a  useless  one.  This  is  a  departure  in  view- 
ing motion  pictures,  but  the  advantage  is 
that  each  movement  may  be  thoroughly 
studied,  whereas,  were  the  film  run  off  the 
screen  in  the  ordinary  way,  it  would  not  be 
possible  to  stop  it  in  any  particular  place. 
Each  "frame"  is  but  one  inch  wide  and 
three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  height,  and  it  is 
the  showing  of  these  in  rapid  succession 
which  produces  the  motion  effect.  When  the 
complete  film  is  projected  on  the  screen  the 
objects  are  magnified  several  thousand  times. 

Packing  is  an  art,  and  it  has  been  sug- 
gested by  Consul  James  Oliver  Laing,  of 
Karachi,  that  motion  pictures  of  packing 
merchandise  for  export  would  prove  a 
valuable  object-lesson.  To  quote  Mr. 
Laing:  "If  single  photographs  of  a  smashed 
packing-case,  or  a  lighter  full  of  goods 

211 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

being  landed,  or  other  illustrations,  are 
good,  a  picture  showing  how  the  case  came 
to  be  smashed,  or  how  the  goods  were  put 
into  or  taken  out  of  the  lighter,  would  be 
better.  Every  one  knows  that  cases  are 
smashed  and  a  single  photograph  shows  only 
the  result,  which  any  shipper  can  imagine. 

"If,  however,  a  shipper  of  flour,  let  us 
say,  could  see  a  lot  of  Levantine  stevedores 
swing  a  loop  full  of  sacks  over  the  side  of 
the  ship  and  let  it  down  on  the  rim  to  a 
flatboat  bobbing  about  in  the  waves,  the 
sight  of  what  happens  when  the  boat  rises 
suddenly  to  meet  several  hundred  pounds 
of  muslin-sacked  flour  would  be  an  education 
to  the  shipper.  If  an  American  furniture 
merchant  could  see  a  moving  picture  of  his 
packing-cases  dropped  from  a  cart-tail  to  a 
stone  floor  by  a  gang  of  Maltese  dockers, 
he  would  appreciate  the  cause  and  effect." 

Another  problem  confronting  the  aver- 
age employer  of  skilled  labor  is  interesting 
the  wives  in  their  husbands'  work,  for  the 
women,  through  lack  of  understanding,  grow 
discontented  when  their  husbands  have  to 
work  overtime.  No  man  can  be  efficient  if 
his  wife  is  not  interested  in  his  work,  and 
the  Packard  Motor  Car  Company  have  hit 

212 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

upon  the  motion  picture.  A  film  is  devoted 
to  each  manufacturing  process,  and  the  pic- 
tures are  not  so  technical  as  to  be  above  the 
heads  of  the  women,  whose  sympathetic 
instinct  is  appealed  to  by  the  human-interest 
touches. 


213 


XLIII 


'  I  'HE  motion  picture  is  here  to  stay. 
*•  There  is  no  question  about  that,  because 
the  form  of  entertainment  is  decidedly  dis- 
tinctive in  character. 

And  the  individual  qualities  come  to  the 
surface  when  we  put  the  versatility  of  the 
photoplay  to  its  truest  test,  leaving  all  other 
entertainments  hopelessly  in  the  rear. 

Knowing  its  many  possibilities,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  it  is  unsurpassed  for  pro- 
moting good  will  between  employer  and 
employee.  The  laboring  classes  are  the 
staunchest  supporters  of  the  photoplay,  and 
no  better  way  could  be  devised  of  keeping 
men  thoroughly  contented. 

The  motion  picture  requires  little  mental 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  men,  who,  after  a 
hard  day's  work,  are  not  in  a  fit  condition  to 
give  it.  The  men  never  find  the  entertain- 
ment monotonous,  as  films  are  very  versatile 

214 


in  character  and  the  program  can  be  changed 
as  frequently  as  desired. 

Churches,  schools  and  clubs  have  admir- 
ably surmounted  the  theater  problem  with- 
out making  material  alterations  in  their 
existing  buildings.  Then,  again,  in  the 
pioneer  days  of  exhibiting,  the  showman 
was  not  above  renting  an  empty  store  and 
converting  it  into  a  regular  photoplay  show. 

Employees,  accustomed  as  they  are  to- 
roughing  it,  will  not  expect  to  view  the  films 
amid  elaborate  surroundings.  With  them 
the  photoplays  are  the  goods,  so  any  build- 
ing available  that  combines  simplicity  with 
rough  and  ready  comfort  is  satisfactory. 

Maybe  there  is  some  building  on  the 
plant  which  can  be  fixed  up  as  a  motion- 
picture  show  at  nights.  This  should  be 
lofty,  provided  with  several  exits,  be  well 
ventilated  and  heated.  The  place  need  not 
be  wide,  provided  it  is  long  enough  ta 
accommodate  the  requisite  number.  It  i& 
not  enough  that  there  is  room  for  all;  there 
should  be  a  seat  for  every  person,  for  noth- 
ing is  more  annoying  to  a  tired  worker  than 
to  have  to  stand  during  the  performance;  it 
kills  half  the  enjoyment. 

The  enterprising  exhibitor,  during  the 
215 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

hot  months,  runs  an  airdrome.  If  the  cli- 
matic conditions  permit  this  being  done 
during  most  of  the  year,  then  matters  are 
made  much  easier  and  less  expensive.  All 
that  has  to  be  done  is  to  install  seats  on  a 
vacant  lot,  rig  up  the  screen  and  place  the 
operating-booth  in  position.  It  is  advisable, 
however,  to  have  an  inside  building  avail- 
able, so  as  to  take  care  of  the  rainy  and 
cold  nights. 

If  the  above-mentioned  circumstances 
are  not  favorable,  I  would  recommend  that 
you  have  a  frame  building  erected.  When 
obtaining  the  services  of  an  architect,  be 
sure  that  he  has  a  chat  with  a  friendly  exhib- 
itor beforehand,  on  projection,  for  the 
latter  can  only  be  perfected  when  its  limita- 
tions are  borne  in  mind. 

The  outside  is  the  easiest  part  of  inaugu- 
rating a  motion-picture  show.  It  is  the 
"filling  in,"  where  the  troubles  and  costs 
pile  up  in  profusion. 

The  first  item  of  importance  is  the  pro- 
jection machine,  the  prices  of  which  range 
from  $250  to  $300. 

The  authorities  in  various  parts  of  the 
country  insist  upon  the  projection  machine 
being  enclosed  in  a  fireproof  booth,  as,  if 

216 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

there  is  an  outbreak  of  fire,  it  can  not  spread 
further.  Here  an  expense  of  $65  is  in- 
volved, but  it  is  worth  it  in  the  interests  of 
"safety  first."  This  booth,  made  of  gal- 
vanized iron,  gives  the  operator  plenty  of 
room  in  which  to  work,  and  is  shipped  in 
parts,  the  whole  easily  being  set  up  with 
nuts  and  bolts. 

Carbons  are  needed  to  run  the  projector, 
and  it  is  cheaper  to  buy  these  by  the  case, 
which  contains  one  thousand.  They  cost 
from  $17  to  $44,  but  prices  vary  according 
to  market  conditions. 

The  next  important  link  is  the  screen. 
In  the  days  gone  by  a  table-cloth  or  bed- 
sheet  has  been  used,  but  science  has  come  to 
the  rescue,  and  now  there  are  screens  and 
screens,  and  to  obtain  the  best  results  it  will 
be  necessary  to  pay  about  $1.50  per  foot 
for  the  material. 

For  the  seating  accommodation  I  would 
recommend  opera  chairs.  These  are  made 
in  many  grades,  but  I  do  not  think  you  can 
do  better  than  purchase  those  of  a  kind 
which  will  stand  hard  wear. 

Without  music,  motion  pictures  are  de- 
prived of  much  of  their  charm,  and,  while 
an  orchestra  of  several  pieces  is  best  a 

217 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

single,  ordinary  piano  is  a  satisfactory 
makeshift. 

The  best  photoplays  on  the  market  may 
be  shown,  but  if  they  flicker,  get  out  of 
focus,  and  breaks  occur  quite  often,  you 
stand  a  good  chance  of  getting  the  goats  of 
the  spectators. 

This  means  having  to  secure  the  services 
of  a  competent  operator,  who  demands  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  dollars  per  week  for  an 
eight-hour  day. 

If,  however,  there  is  a  man  on  the  staff 
who  is  well  versed  in  electricity,  he  is  in  the 
position  of  the  photographer  who  takes  up 
cinematography.  He  is  acquainted  with 
the  fundamentals  of  his  craft,  and  it  is 
therefore  easy  for  him  to  become  an  expert 
operator. 

If  he  is  the  right  sort  of  man,  he  will 
not  object  to  doing  two  or  three  hours'  over- 
time of  an  evening,  and  perhaps  it  can  be 
arranged  for  his  hours  at  his  regular  job  to 
be  curtailed  in  order  to  ease  any  strain  that 
might  occur.  , 

There  remains  one  connecting  link — the 
light  by  which  to  throw  the  pictures  on  the 
screen.  If  a  power  plant  is  available,  the 
current  from  same  can  be  used. 

218 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Have  the  operator  focus  the  projection 
machine  exactly  in  the  middle  of  the  screen, 
not  an  inch  to  the  right  or  the  left,  or  an 
inch  below  or  above.  If  this  is  not  attended 
to,  no  matter  in  what  advantageous  position 
a  spectator  sits  he  will  either  have  to  hold 
his  head  up  high  or  else  the  players  in  the 
picture  appear  unnaturally  long  and  slim. 
The  rays  of  light  take  a  straight  path,  and 
if  they  are  compelled  to  turn  aside,  a 
peculiar,  annoying  effect  is  produced. 

In  selecting  suitable  lens,  the  size  of 
building,  make  of  projection  machine,  the 
length  and  height  of  screen  and  the  distance 
from  the  operating-booth  to  the  screen  must 
be  taken  into  consideration.  It  is  false 
economy  to  purchase  cheap  lens,  and  when 
ordering  always  furnish  the  supply  firm 
with  the  foregoing  particulars,  as  they  can 
then  execute  your  orders  intelligently. 

Once  the  operator  gets  acquainted  with 
the  various  makes  of  films  he  will  discover 
that  there  is  no  standard  perforation  gauge. 
This  results  in  the  film  jumping  the  sprock- 
ets, and  many  breaks. 

Carelessness,  however,  is  sometimes  re- 
sponsible for  these  defects,  and  the  operator 
should  make  this  his  creed: 
219 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

"On  receiving  the  films  I  will  inspect 
them  for  breaks,  which  I  will  repair. 

"Every  time  the  film  leaves  the  sprockets 
I  will  halt  the  projector  in  order  to  set  it 
right. 

"When  stopping  the  machine  I  will 
throw  off  the  switch. 

"When  rewinding  the  films  as  through 
with,  it  will  not  be  my  fault  that  they  are 
scratched,  thereby  shortening  their  life.  I 
shall  carefully  but  firmly  exert  a  pressure 
against  the  disks  of  each  single  reel  I  am  in 
the  process  of  unwinding.  I  shall  find  it 
evenly  wound  and  no  damage  done  despite 
the  speed  at  which  I  have  proceeded." 

The  standard  speed  at  which  pictures 
are  projected  is  sixteen  "frames"  to  the 
second.  There  are  sixteen  of  these 
"frames,"  otherwise  tiny  pictures,  to  each 
foot  of  film,  and  each  reel  takes  about 
fifteen  minutes  to  unspool.  If  projection 
is  faster,  things  in  the  films  move  at  a  rapid, 
mechanical  pace,  while  explanatory  matter 
is  snatched  off  before  it  can  be  grasped. 

The  operator  must  be  provided  with  a 
tool  outfit,  which  should  include  cement  for 
mending  broken  films,  a  file  for  sharpening 
carbons,  lugs,  reels  and  machine  oil. 
220 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  three  chief  distributing  organiza- 
tions, General,  Mutual  and  Universal,  oper- 
ate a  string  of  exchanges  throughout  the 
country,  and  between  them  release  mostly 
short  productions  weekly.  The  producers 
marketing  their  wares  under  these  fac- 
tions receive  ten  cents  per  foot  for  each 
print  they  supply,  consequently  every  reel 
costs  the  exchange  $ibo.  It  would  be  out  of 
the  question  to  show  a  film  for  a  single  day 
on  these  terms,  so  it  is  hired  out  to  a  bunch 
of  theaters.  The  man  who  scures  first-run 
service  pays  the  highest  price,  but  even  then 
it  amounts  to  only  a  proportion  of  the  orig- 
inal-price. As  the  age  of  a  film  increases, 
the  rental  decreases,  until  it  can  be  hired  for 
as  low  as  one  dollar  per  day.  Even  at  this 
stage  it  is  generally  in  good  condition. 

The  service  has  to  be  contracted  and 
paid  for  in  advance,  the  films  being  shipped 
as  required,  and  reshipped,  at  the  expiration 
of  the  hiring  term,  to  the  next  theater  on 
the  list. 

There  is  also  a  bunch  of  concerns  that 
exclusively  handle  special  features.  They 
are  the  de  luxe  productions  of  the  photoplay 
world,  in  from  five  to  eight  reels,  starring 
a  prominent  photoplayer  or  stage  favorite 
221 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

in  an  adaptation  from  some  popular  play  or 
novel. 

The  producers  spend  more  time,  labor 
and  expense  on  these  pictures,  consequently 
charge  correspondingly  high  for  same.  To 
secure  the  first  run  of  a  feature  of  this  kind 
fifty  dollars  per  day  is  not  considered  high. 
It  is  best  to  try  out  the  regular  service 
before  experimenting  on  special  feature 
stuff. 

I  now  come  to  the  actual  running  of  the 
show,  and,  naturally,  the  times  and  days  of 
the  week  on  which  the  employees  are  enter- 
tained are  governed  by  the  circumstances. 

Presuming  there  are  one  thousand 
employees  and  only  half  of  them  can  be 
accommodated  at  one  time,  it  would  be 
advisable  to  give  two  performances  of  an 
evening  instead  of  spreading  them  over  two 
consecutive  evenings,  in  which  case  film  hire 
will  cost  twice  as  much. 


222 


XLIV 

SHOOTING  AT  THE  FILM 

IV /f  ANY  wealthy  sportsmen  now  prefer  to 
**•*•  "hunt"  with  a  motion-picture  camera. 
Whether  it  be  the  king  of  the  jungle  or  the 
humble  rabbit,  there  is  no  suggestion  ot 
posing  in  the  pictures  obtained,  which  are 
therefore  unsurpassed  for  realism.  All  this 
is  what  must  have  inspired  inventors  to 
approach  as  near  to  the  real  thing  as  the 
automatic  target  can  go.  The  results  have 
not  been  perfect  by  any  means. 

Of  the  three  principal  methods  in  vogue, 
life  targets  undoubtedly  possess  the  best  all- 
round  qualities.  Attached  to  a  roller  is  a 
long  portion  of  tough,  white  paper.  This 
paper  passes  over  a  cylinder,  after  which  it 
travels  backwards  and  winds  itself  'round  a 
second  cylinder,  located  near  the  roller. 
This  doubles  the  paper,  and  another  sheet 
of  paper  is  fastened  securely  between  and 
across.  When  the  marksman's  shot  hits  the 
screen  target,  a  ratchet,  controlled  by  elec- 

15  223 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

tricity,  covers  half  of  the  shot-hole  in  order 
to  repair  the  injury.  The  marksman  has  no 
need  to  investigate  the  effect  of  each  shot, 
for  the  picture  stops  automatically  just  as 
soon  as  the  bullet  hits  the  target.  At  the 
back  of  the  screen  appears  a  brilliant  light 
in  the  exact  spot  struck  by  the  cartridge. 
The  shot  also  stops  the  film  for  about  two 
seconds,  during  which  time  the  marksman 
can  judge  his  results.  After  this  the  film  is 
set  in  motion,  when  the  telltale  light  disap- 
pears. 

It  has  not  been  found  practical  to  permit 
an  ordinary  film  to  come  to  a  standstill 
before  it  has  been  run  off,  because  there  is 
the  risk  of  the  heated  projecting  machine 
causing  the  celluloid  strip  to  catch  fire.  But 
no  such  danger  exists  with  the  life  target, 
as  a  patented  cold-air  blast  insures  perfect 
safety.  Sand-bags  are  placed  behind  the 
screen  to  prevent  the  bullets  going  astray. 

The  screen  used  for  flash  targets  is 
manufactured  of  steel  in  order  to  prevent 
the  bullets  from  riddling  the  screen.  The 
lighting  feature  here  is  the  same  as  for  life 
targets.  It  is  possible  for  two  or  more 
persons  to  simultaneously  fire  and  each 
marksman  be  able  to  trace  his  shots.  To  do 

224 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

this  each  marksman  employs  bullets  which 
produce  flashes  of  a  different  color. 

A  Scotch  invention  which  has  not  yet 
been  christened  makes  it  possible  to  install 
a  miniature  screen  and  projection  machine 
in  a  cellar  or  dark  room.  The  electric 
lamps  act  in  the  capacity  of  weapons.  The 
pressing  of  the  trigger  flashes  a  spot-light 
on  the  screen  in  one  or  more  colors,  accord- 
ing to  the  number  playing. 

It  may  be  well  to  now  set  forth  the 
shortcomings  of  film  rifle-shooting  from  the 
rifle-shot's  standpoint.  The  chief  drawback 
is  the  confined  area  in  which  the  marksman 
has  to  work.  The  maximum  distance  from 
which  he  can  fire  at  the  motion-picture 
screen  effectively  is  from  seventy-five  to  one 
hundred  feet.  To  a  marksman  accustomed 
to  a  range  up  to  one  thousand  feet,  this  is 
a  serious  disadvantage. 

No  one  has  yet  solved  the  problem  of 
vision  from  a  greater  distance.  If  one  sits 
a  few  feet  away  from  the  screen,  the  pic- 
tures appear  so  large  and  flat  that  one 
develops  eye-strain.  The  results  would  be 
likewise  disappointing  if  one  attempted  to 
fire  at  the  screen  from  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  feet  and  up.  The  film  would  flicker 

225 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  extremely  doubt- 
ful whether  the  image  could  be  plainly  dis- 
cerned. 

The  number  of  photoplay  theaters  in 
this  country  which  have  a  longer  throw  than 
two  hundred  feet  may  be  counted  on  the 
fingers  of  one's  hands,  and  this  has  only 
been  made  possible  by  consuming  more  elec- 
tric current,  using  more  powerful  lens  and 
a  larger  screen. 

The  rifleman  must  also  take  up  a 
straight  position,  for  he  can  not  assume  any 
other  angle. 

A  recently  invented  device  films  pictures 
of  a  bullet's  movements  in  motion  at  the 
rapid  rate  of  one  hundred  thousand  per 
second.  The  test  was  confined  to  a  radius 
of  ten  inches,  and  the  bullet  traversed  the 
distance  so  swiftly  that  only  seventy-two 
pictures  were  necessary.  What  makes  the 
accomplishment  remarkable  is  that  it  pierced 
a  thin  piece  of  wood.  No  unusual  develop- 
ments were  noticed  until  the  bullet  had 
nearly  completed  its  journey,  when  ever-so- 
small  splinters  of  wood  began  to  fly  about. 
When  it  completed  the  trip,  the  strip  gave 
way  completely. 

As  yet  there  are  no  camera  shutters  that 

226 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

possess  this  record  rate  of  revolution,  and 
the  difficulty  was  admirably  surmounted  by 
fixing  a  contrivance  to  the  camera  that  was 
capable  of  manufacturing  electric  sparks  to 
the  extent  of  one  hundred  thousand  to  the 
second.  A  wheel  about  three  feet  in  circum- 
ference was  the  resting-place  for  the  film. 
When  the  bullet  had  been  fired,  the  wheel 
turned  'round  at  nine  thousand  times  per 
minute  and  a  spark  flashed  to  record  the 
exposure  of  every  picture. 

Shooting  at  the  film  ranks  next  best  to 
shooting  the  object  in  the  flesh.  There  is 
no  killing  for  the  sake  of  killing,  while  the 
life  of  the  hunter  is  never  in  danger.  It 
also  succeeds  in  maintaining  the  marksman's 
alertness  up  to  concert  pitch,  and  in  snap- 
shooting the  film  is  even  better. 


227 


XLV 

TEACHING  AGRICULTURE  BY  MOTION 
PICTURES 

'  I  "HE  idea  of  teaching  agriculture  by 
^  motion  pictures  originated  with  two 
college  students.  They  had  the  courage  of 
their  convictions,  so  they  outlined  their 
plans  to  Prof.  Thomas  Nixon,  of  Harvard, 
who,  with  the  approval  of  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  formed  the  Rural  Organi- 
zation Service. 

After  this,  Assistant  Secretary  Galloway 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  organized 
a  committee,  the  duties  of  which  were  to 
make  films  for  experimental  purposes,  re- 
view scenarios,  make  recommendations  and 
co-ordinate  the  motion-picture  work. 

The  Section  of  Illustration,  Division  of 
Publication,  was  accordingly  provided  with 
the  necessary  equipment  for  taking,  develop- 
ing and  exhibiting  films.  The  committee 
gets  busy  after  the  chief  of  any  division, 
bureau  or  independent  office  decides  in  what 

228 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

way  motion  pictures  can  assist  his  work. 
The  proposition  is  passed  upon  by  the  com- 
mittee, and  if  they  approve  of  it  they  hand 
it  over  to  the  Assistant  Secretary,  who 
renders  the  final  decision. 

The  cost  is  charged  to  the  bureau, 
division  or  office  using  the  films.  The  funds 
from  these  sources,  however,  have  not 
proven  sufficient  to  enable  more  than  a  few 
prints  to  be  taken  from  each  negative.  This 
has  greatly  curtailed  the  activities  of  the 
department,  which  has  been  obliged  to  turn 
away  requests  from  educational  and  chari- 
table institutions.  It  has,  in  fact,  been  a 
hard  enough  problem  to  supply  the  needs 
of  the  lecturers  attached  to  the  depart- 
ment. 

The  department,  during  its  first  year  of 
operation,  produced  thirty  different  subjects, 
comprising  thirty-one  reels.  These  educa- 
tionals  are  unlike  the  efforts  of  the  regular 
photoplay  producers.  The  latter,  for  in- 
stance, show  you  the  actual  growth  of  a 
plant,  from  a  seedling  to  a  sturdy  plant, 
within  a  few  minutes.  The  department, 
however,  disapproves  of  this  "wizardry,"  so 
they  cut  out  the  actual  growing.  Instead, 
the  seedling  is  shown,  as  in  real  life,  without 

229 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

a  movement,  and  when  it  has  grown  a  little 
more,  a  subtitle  appears  to  explain  the  lapse 
<>l  time. 

These  films  a  IT  shown  ;it  the  Slate-  col- 
leges as  well  as  at  farmers'  institutes  and 
county  fairs. 

In  many  rural  communities,  however, 
electricity  is  not  available,  and,  as  the  pres- 
ent equipment  of  the  department  prevents 
any  other  generating  power  being  employed 
to  operate  the  projector,  it  has  not  been 
possible  to  reach  all  farmers. 

The  department  is  endeavoring  to  sur- 
mount the  difficulty,  and  if  their  experiments 
are  successful,  a  portable  lighting  outfit  will 
be  substituted. 

At  the  time  our  Government  adopted 
the  motion  picture,  Canada  began  to  grow 
interested,  but  the  one  and  only  Province 
that  got  to  the  up-and-doing  stage  was 
Ontario. 

Canada  is  still  in  a  state  of  develop- 
ment, consequently  the  number  of  settlers 
continues.  Many  of  these  know  practically 
nothing  about  scientific  farming,  and  the 
Ontario  Department  of  Agriculture  had  a 
series  of  films  produced  so  as  to  dispense 
the  necessary  knowledge.  These  pictures 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

depicted    the    most    important    phases    of 
modern  agriculture. 

Operators  tour  the  farmers'  institutes 
throughout  the  Province,  and  lecture  to  the 
films  as  they  are  thrown  on  the  screen. 


281 


XLVI 

LIVE  STOCK  IN  MOTION  PICTURES 

YV7ERE  I  asked  to  name  the  most  versa- 
*^  tile  thing  within  our  midst,  I  should 
say,  "The  motion  picture,"  without  the 
slightest  hesitation. 

The  method  by  which  the  Vilette  Slaugh- 
ter-house, of  Paris,  analyzes  its  meat,  is  to 
take  films  of  live  stock  immediately  after 
same  has  been  slaughtered.  The  pictures 
are  then  exhibited  before  sanitary  inspectors, 
cattle-dealers  and  butchers,  who  can  readily 
determine  diseased  meat  by  the  bacteria 
which  the  film  reveals. 

Another  use  for  the  motion  picture  has 
been  discovered  by  the  Bureau  of  Animal 
Industry  of  the  United  States  Department 
of  Agriculture.  The  bureau  has  had  a  film 
produced  under  the  supervision  of  Mr. 
Downing,  which  deals  with  the  well-known 
"Brooks-Bacon,"  cured  in  Brooks  County, 
Georgia. 

This  film,  so  I  am  given  to  understand, 

232 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

will  be  shown  in  rural  districts  in  conjunction 
with  a  lecture,  the  aim  being  to  give  pointers 
to  farmers  on  this  famous  industry. 

America  can  derive  a  wrinkle  from 
Scotland.  At  a  recent  show  of  the  High- 
land Agriculture  Society,  sheep-farmers  had 
an  opportunity  of  seeing  a  film  dealing  with 
the  packing  of  wool. 

The  Agricultural  College  of  North 
Dakota  is  also  doing  good  work  in  enlisting 
the  aid  of  the  motion  picture  in  connection 
with  its  lecture  course,  one  of  the  films  per- 
taining, as  it  does,  to  the  prevention  of 
disease  to  animals. 


233 


XLVII 

USING  THE  MOVIES  UNDER  THE  SEA 

YV7HEN  the  wonderful  Williamson  sub- 
^*  marine-tube  invention  was  heralded, 
nine  out  of  ten  folks  thought  that  it  was 
destined  to  remain  a  scientific  toy,  but  they 
were  wrong,  entirely  wrong. 

The  inventors  were  more  than  mere 
amusement  purveyors,  for  they  invaded  new 
fields  with  a  practical  object  in  view,  their 
efforts  meeting  with  success. 

In  the  first  film  taken  off  the  Bahama 
Islands  they  located  a  Civil  War  blockade- 
runner,  which  had  vainly  tried  to  escape  the 
penalties  of  war.  The  ship  was  found-  at 
a  depth  of  fifty  feet,  and  George  William- 
son decided  to  act  as  a  diver  in  order  to 
put  his  brain-child  to  a  new  use.  He  was 
loaned  a  diving-suit  by  the  local  government 
and  investigated  the  wreck  while  the  camera 
men  filmed  all  his  movements.  He  came 
across  pieces  of  eight,  cannon  and  other 
salvage,  all  of  which  he  dispatched  to  the 

234 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

surface  by  means  of  a  wire  basket  attached 
to  the  end  of  a  rope. 

As  the  experiment  was  successful,  it 
occurred  to  Mr.  Williamson  that  he  might 
recover  some  of  the  wealth  which  has  found 
a  watery  grave.  In  speaking  of  his  plans, 
he  said:  "Some  say  there  is  more  gold  at 
the  bottom  of  the  ocean  than  there  is  in 
circulation;  gold  and  silver  have  been  sink- 
ing in  the  sea  for  centuries;  millions  a  year 
going  down,  and  none  coming  up  again. 
We  think  we  have  a  method  of  getting  much 
of  this  treasure  which  is  in  not  too  deep 
water." 

The  Williamson  brothers  made  arrange- 
ments to  salve  the  silver  bars  said  to  be  on 
the  "Mereda,"  which  sank  off  the  Virginian 
coast.  They  also  intend  to  raise  the  valu- 
ables that  went  down  in  the  "Empress 
of  Ireland,"  and  will  take  films  of  their 
efforts. 

When  their  feature  educational  was 
shown  before  a  distinguished  audience  at 
the  U.  S.  National  Museum  in  Washington, 
the  harbor  men  and  steamship  officials  were 
convinced  that  the  invention  could  be  of 
considerable  assistance  in  investigating  the 
supports  of  wharfs  and  piers  and  dangerous 

235 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

rocks  and  reefs  little  known  or  unknown  to 
navigators. 

On  the  other  hand,  scientists  agree  that 
it  can  bring  much  to  light  on  which  only 
superficial  knowledge  exists.  They  were 
delighted  to  discover  a  new  fish  in  the  pic- 
ture, which  was  promptly  named  "Old 
Glory,"  because  of  the  colored  stripes  on  its 
body. 

If  I  am  not  mistaken,  much  will  be 
heard  of  Ernest  and  George  Williamson, 
for  they  have  made  an  auspicious  beginning. 


236 


XLVIII 

MOTION  PICTURES  AS  AN  AID  TO 
POLITICS 

'"THE  motion  picture  is  a  highly  efficient 
•*•  political  agent.  When  Wilson  ran  for 
President  in  1912,  the  National  Democratic 
Committee  arranged  for  a  film  to  be  pro- 
duced as  a  campaign  booster.  The  plot 
featured  Wilson,  and,  as  the  production  was 
a  convincing  one,  it  undoubtedly  helped  to- 
make  Wilson  what  he  is  to-day. 

Some  time  ago  the  Progressive  party 
announced  plans  for  its  motion-picture  cam- 
paign. The  aim  of  each  film  was  to  present 
Progressive  doctrines  as  applied  to  present- 
day  social  evils. 

The  Socialist  party  is  represented  in. 
motion  pictures  by  "From  Dusk  to  Dawn," 
an  industrial  drama.  This  has  been  wit- 
nessed by  large  Sunday  audiences  through- 
out the  country,  in  conjunction  with  lectures 
by  prominent  socialists. 

Senator  Penrose  conducted  his  political 

237 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

campaign  for  re-election  in  Pennsylvania  by 
a  reel,  which  was  shown  at  a  number  of 
theaters  throughout  the  State.  On  the  film 
he  addresses  workingmen,  and  walks  along 
the  corridors  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington. 

Raymond  Robins,  the  Illinois  Progres- 
sive candidate  for  United  States  Senator, 
held  a  meeting  at  the  Lyric  Theater,  Belle- 
ville, where  he  gave  a  free  program  of 
selected  photoplays. 

When  William  B.  McKinley,  the  trac- 
tion magnate,  was  re-elected  to  Congress, 
the  Southern  Illinois  newspapers  declared 
that  the  motion  picture  was  directly  respon- 
sible for  his  success. 

Recently  an  ambitious  motion-picture 
company  decided  to  produce  an  educational 
subject  showing  the  Senators  at  work  in  the 
Senate  Chamber  at  the  Capitol.  The  camera 
man  was  allowed  by  the  sergeant-at-arms  to 
work  just  before  the  opening  of  the  regular 
session.  He  filmed  the  prayer  offered  by 
the  chaplain,  the  introduction  of  bills  by 
pages,  Senate  press  gallery  and  pages  at 
play.  It  afterward  transpired  that  Vice- 
President  Marshall  had  not  granted  the  nec- 
essary permission,  although  the  photogra- 
pher said  he  had.  It  is  perhaps  significant 

238 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

that  the  film  has  never  seen  the  light  of  day. 

Senator  Stone  finds  the  motion  picture 
an  excellent  mental  tonic.  He  is  a  frequent 
visitor  to  the  Washington  theaters.  So 
much  so,  in  fact,  that  the  sergeant-at-arms 
generally  knows  where  to  locate  the  Mis- 
souri Senator  for  a  roll-call. 

When  Mayor  Johnson,  of  Gary,  ran  for 
Governor  of  Indiana  he  had  a  film  taken  to 
prove  his  popularity  among  townsfolk.  He 
also  expressed  a  keen  desire  to  "star"  in  a 
regular  drama  as  an  efficient  financier,  which 
he  asserts  is  Indiana's  greatest  need. 

A  regular  photoplay  proved  the  turning- 
point  in  a  recent  traction  franchise  fight  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio.  "The  Man  of  the  Hour," 
featuring  Robert  Warwick,  deals  with  the 
young  mayor  of  New  York  City,  who  is 
requested  to  sign  a  traction  franchise  bill. 
The  mayor  refuses,  and  instantly  the  politi- 
cal machine  is  put  in  motion,  the  mayor  win- 
ning out  in  the  end.  At  the  time  the  photo- 
play was  shown  in  Cincinnati  the  topic  of 
the  day  was  the  local  franchise  bill.  No 
photoplay  was  more  lustily  cheered  by  spec- 
tators, and  the  effect  of  same  was  shown  at 
the  Cincinnati  election,  the  bosses  being 
defeated. 

16  239 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

William  Sulzer,  the  ex-Governor  of  New 
York  State,  was  "starred"  in  "The  Gov- 
ernor's Boss."  He  was  not  prompted  by 
artistic  ambitions,  which  was  perhaps  as 
well,  in  view  of  his  amateurish  acting.  The 
ex-Governor's  one  aim  was  to  expose  boss- 
ism,  for  the  benefit  of  voters.  The  story, 
which  was  suggested  by  the  play,  "The 
Governor's  Boss,"  was  purely  fictional. 

There  is  a  law  in  Michigan  which  for- 
bids campaign  cuts  being  beyond  a  certain 
size.  Politicians  discovered  this  only  too 
well  at  a  recent  election,  where  Attorney- 
General  Fellows  announced  that  slides  of 
the  candidates,  thrown  on  the  screens  of  the 
local  theaters,  violated  the  primary  law. 

On  one  occasion  the  Louisville  news- 
papers desired  to  judge  what  influence  poli- 
tics have  upon  photoplay-goers.  The  movie 
theaters  maintained  their  customary  impar- 
tial attitude  and  displayed  slides  of  all  candi- 
dates running  for  city  offices.  Each  slide 
received  applause  mingled  with  hisses,  which 
revealed  that  folks  do  not  object  to  showing 
their  political  faith  when  there  is  little 
chance  of  same  being  recognized. 

The  taxpayers  of  Binghamton,  New 
York,  took  the  initiative  in  the  1915  munici- 
240 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

pal  election.  They  sought  to  know  if  they 
were  going  to  have  a  fixed  policy  in  regard 
to  Sunday  movies.  The  frank  reply  of 
Frank  H.  Truitt,  the  Republican  candidate 
for  mayor,  was  this:  "Movie  licenses  should 
be  issued  for  six  days  -per  week.  Shows 
closed  on  Sundays." 

In  1912  the  National  Woman's  Suffrage 
Association  co-operated  with  a  motion-pic- 
ture company  to  produce  a  special  photoplay 
with  special  reference  to  the  suffrage  cause. 
The  production  was  named  "Votes  for 
Women,"  in  which  several  well-known 
suffragists  appeared.  The  story  brought 
home  to  the  big  city  audiences  the  difficulties 
which  the  suffragists  experience  in  canvassing 
votes  in  the  small  towns  and  outlying  dis- 
tricts. 

Mrs.  Pankhurst,  during  her  visit  to 
America  in  1913,  appeared  in  a  propaganda 
photoplay  entitled  "What  Eighty  Million 
Women  Want."  Mrs.  Harriet  Stanton 
Blatch,  the  well-known  president  of  the 
Woman's  Political  Union,  also  made  her 
motion-picture  debut.  The  story  told  of  a 
political  fight  in  New  York  City  during  the 
primaries.  The  Woman's  Political  Union 
does  everything  within  its  power  to  extin- 

241 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

guish  Kelly,  the  corrupt  political  boss,  and 
finally  succeeds.  At  every  theater  where 
the  picture  was  shown,  suffragists  addressed 
the  audience. 

Another  publicity  stunt  which  helped  the 
suffrage  cause  was  the  appearance  of  Mrs. 
Helen  Robinson,  the  only  woman  Senator, 
in  an  installment  of  the  "Our  Mutual  Girl" 
serial,  negotiations  for  which  were  trans- 
acted through  Miss  Jean  Parker,  the  noted 
artist.  Several  prominent  suffragists  ap- 
peared with  the  Colorado  Senatress. 

The  Chicago  Woman's  Citizenship  Com- 
mittees, during  the  1914  elections,  utilized 
motion  pictures  to  educate  prospective  men 
and  women  voters,  particularly  the  latter. 
In  the  film,  women  passed  before  the  regis- 
tering-desk and  afterward  entered  the  poll- 
ing-booths. The  slogan  of  the  picture  was 
"Register  on  February  3,"  and  it  is  cal- 
culated that  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the 
population  was  reached  in  this  effective 
manner. 

The  year  1915  saw  the  advent  of  an- 
other propaganda  production,  this  time  put 
out  by  one  of  the  regular  producing  com- 
panies in  the  ordinary  way.  "Your  Girl  and 
Mine"  was  shown  under  the  auspices  of  the 
242 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

local  suffrage  associations  throughout  the 
country.  It  was  also  favorably  received  in 
Canada,  where  it  helped  to  raise  funds  for 
the  Canadian  Patriotic  Fund,  which  cares 
for  the  wives  of  soldiers.  Many  converts 
to  the  cause  were  made. 

In  April,  1916,  the  Congressional  Union 
for  Woman's  Suffrage  decided  to  portray 
in  a  photoplay  the  actions  of  the  House 
Judiciary  Committee  in  handling  the  Susan 
B.  Anthony  Amendment  for  Woman  Suf- 
frage. The  scenario  was  solicited  from  the 
general  public,  who  had  the  option  of  writ- 
ing a  comedy,  melodrama  or  detective  story. 
The  only  stipulation  was  that  neither  Repre- 
sentative Webb,  of  North  Carolina,  nor 
Representative  Carlin,  of  Virginia,  must  be 
made  the  hero  of  the  story. 

During  the  1913  general  elections  in 
France,  all  the  candidates  posed  before  the 
motion-picture  camera  in  attitudes  which 
undoubtedly  left  good  impressions  upon 
prospective  voters.  The  accommodating 
film  made  it  no  longer  necessary  for  candi- 
dates to  visit  out-of-the-way  parts  of  their 
constituencies.  Instead,  expert  operators 
toured  these  districts  with  films  of  the  can- 
didates, who  addressed  likely  voters  on 

243 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

celluloid,  while  extracts  from  their  speeches 
were  flashed  on  the  film. 

One  candidate  went  even  further.  He 
had  courage  enough  to  dispense  with  street 
meetings  altogether,  and  in  their  place  hired 
a  photoplay  theater,  to  which  he  admitted 
prospective  voters  free  of  charge.  The 
entertainment  opened  with  two  lively  com- 
edies, which  put  the  audience  in  a  receptive 
mood.  A  series  of  pictures,  depicting  inci- 
dents in  the  career  of  the  candidate,  fol- 
lowed. He  was  first  of  all  seen  conducting 
a  meeting,  shaking  hands  with  the  prefect 
and  leaving  in  his  motor-car.  He  was  then 
shown  assisting  an  old  woman  to  load  a 
bundle  of  wood  on  her  donkey's  back,  indig- 
nantly declining  to  be  bribed,  and  affection- 
ately attending  to  an  old  man  on  a  sick-bed. 
But  he  pulled  the  heart-strings  of  the  spec- 
tators tightly  when  the  last  picture  revealed 
him  discreetly  giving  a  bank-note  to  a  poor 
man  who  had  just  been  rendered  homeless 
through  a  fire. 

In  England  the  advocates  of  tariff 
reform  have  realized  the  possibilities  of  the 
motion  picture.  Before  the  war,  delegates 
made  visits  to  towns,  but,  instead  of  explain- 
ing the  advantages  of  being  a  Unionist  by 

244 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  spoken  word,  they  employed  the  film. 
In  the  picture,  favorite  actors  impersonated 
Lloyd  George,  Asquith  and  Bonar  Law, 
while  dialogue  subtitles  helped  to  put  over 
their  arguments. 

The  Unionist  party,  on  another  occasion, 
discovered  that  the  one  and  only  effective 
way  of  reaching  many  folks  in  rural  com- 
munities was  by  the  traveling  motion-picture 
show.  The  performances  were  given  from 
the  back  of  an  auto-wagon,  but  audiences 
had  first  to  listen  to  an  eloquent  address 
from  the  candidate's  representative.  The 
undertaking  was  educational,  in  that  many 
aged  folks  saw  the  movies  for  the  first 
time. 

In  1912,  at  the  time  of  the  London 
County  Council  elections,  one  political  party 
had  fifty  projection  machines  working  on 
behalf  of  their  candidates.  The  films 
screened  by  same  at  open-air  meetings 
showed  how  London  had  changed  for  the 
better  since  they  had  come  into  power. 

We  have  newspapers  that  support  one 
political  faith,  but  the  unneutral  motion-pic- 
ture theater  is  a  rarity.  One  exhibitor 
attempted  it  when  running  for  a  municipal 
office.  He  had  his  portrait  thrown  upon  the 

245 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

screen,  accompanied  by  another  relating  to 
his  qualifications.     He  was  elected. 

The  last  suffrage  laws  in  Italy  appealed 
to  several  million  people  who  had  not  been 
entitled  to  vote  before.  It  was  no  small 
task  to  teach  them  how  to  cast  their  ballots, 
so  the  aid  of  the  motion  picture  was  sought. 
Films  were  produced  and  exhibited  to  dem- 
onstrate how  voting  is  done  properly,  again 
testifying  how  useful  the  motion  picture  is 
for  political  purposes. 


246 


XLIX 

THE  MOTION-PICTURE  CRITIC 

INCREDIBLE  as  it  may  seem,  the  motion 
*  picture  is  still  regarded  as  a  scientific  toy 
by  the  daily  press.  New  York  is  supposed 
to  set  the  pace  for  the  entire  country,  yet 
what  do  we  find?  Of  the  regular  dailies, 
but  one  is  making  an  honest  attempt  ta 
criticize  current  photodrama  attractions. 
True  enough,  there  appear  columns  of  film 
notes,  which  are  contributed  by  the  pub- 
licity departments  of  the  photoplay  manu- 
facturers, but  anything  resembling  the 
regular  dramatic  department  is  practically 
unknown. 

When  a  newspaper  does  review  a  photo- 
play it  dispatches  its  regular  dramatic  critic. 
He  may  be  a  competent  man  in  his  own 
particular  sphere,  but  when  he  tackles  the 
motion  picture  he  at  once  betrays  his  igno- 
rance. He  will  say,  for  instance,  that  "The 
Love  Chief"  was  "produced"  at  the  Blank 
theater,  whereas  he  should  have  written 

247 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

"presented."  He  is  also  fond  of  using  the 
word  "posed,"  when  speaking  of  the  actors. 
As  any  fan  knows,  once  a  photoplayer  com- 
mences to  pose,  he  is  artificial.  "Appeared" 
is  a  better  word. 

Speaking  at  a  dinner  in  March,  1915, 
Arthur  Brisbane,  editor  of  the  New  York 
Evening  Journal,  said:  "The  success  of  the 
motion  picture  is  based  upon  the  stupidity 
and  lack  of  intellectual  development  of  the 
human  race.  I  am  one  of  the  few  living 
men  who  have  never  seen  Mary  Pickford  or 
Charles  Chaplin  or  Theda  Bara  or  Miss 
Clarke.  All  I  have  seen  is  the  'Durbar'  and 
Scott's  South  Pole  pictures  and  'Carmen,' 
which  I  couldn't  escape  because  it  was  given 
in  Mr.  Hearst's  house  and  I  happened  to 
be  a  guest  there."  When  a  great  editor, 
such  as  Mr.  Brisbane,  permits  prejudice  to 
outweigh  all  other  considerations,  we  begin 
to  understand  the  apathy  displayed  by  many 
newspaper  editors  toward  the  photoplay. 

About  two  years  before  this  speech  was 
made,  a  well-known  Chicago  dramatic  critic 
boasted  that  he  had  never  seen  a  photoplay 
and  did  not  wish  to.  Another  dramatic 
critic  made  a  fool  of  himself  at  a  trade 
dinner  when  he  mentioned  a  perfect,  one- 

248 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

reel  photoplay  which  it  had  been  his  pleas- 
ure to  see.  Naturally,  his  listeners  thought 
he  alluded  to  the  old  Griffith-Biograph  pic- 
tures. "Spartacus,"  he  said,  when  asked  the 
name.  "A  one-reeler?"  queried  his  ques- 
tioner. "You  must  have  only  seen  the  final 
reel!" 

Why  should  not  photoplays  be  criticized 
the  same  as  stage  productions?  The  popu- 
larity of  the  feature  photoplay,  and  the 
resulting  improvements  effected  in  the  pro- 
ducing end,  entitle  the  silent  drama  to  be 
judged  on  a  plane  by  itself.  Why  should 
a  review  be  hidden  among  the  "legitimate" 
stuff  and  criticized  from  the  angle  of  a 
speaking  play?  It  is  not  fair  to  the  public 
or  the  producer.  The  newspapers  claim 
that  the  average  photoplay  is  not  worth 
criticizing — the  story  is  too  improbable  to 
begin  with.  Let  us  grant  that  they  are 
correct  in  their  assumption.  What  is  the 
critic  for?  Is  it  not  his  duty  to  dissect  the 
faults  and  show  how  they  may  be  remedied? 
Very  well.  .  He  should  be  pleased  because 
there  is  some  useful  work  ahead  of  him. 
The  producer  has  been  accustomed  to  taking 
things  easy  because  his  efforts  are  sent  out 
into  the  world  without  rebuffs.  He  may 

249 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

obtain  a  few  "roasts"  from  the  trade 
papers,  but  these  do  not  reach  the  public  at 
large,  so  why  should  he  worry?  Once  a 
newspaper  engages  a  motion-picture  critic, 
he  will  put  the  producers  on  their  mettle. 

The  motion-picture  critic  has  difficulties 
which  he  alone  can  appreciate.  There  are 
something  like  one  hundred  productions,  of 
all  lengths  and  descriptions,  released  weekly. 
To  see  the  entire  output  would  keep  the 
critic  more  than  busy  during  each  of  the 
seven  days.  Then,  there  are  space  consid- 
erations. Under  such  conditions  as  exist  in 
the  big  city  it  would  not  be  advisable  to  just 
take  the  features  playing  at  the  leading 
theaters  in  the  business  and  shopping  sec- 
tions, for  the  many  ordinary  shows  situated 
in  various  other  parts  of  the  town  and 
suburbs  would  be  missed  entirely.  The  only 
fair  way  is  a  middle  course.  It  will  be  pre- 
sumed that  the  critic  keeps  in  touch  with  the 
latest  output,  which  knowledge  should  great- 
ly assist  him  to  decide  which  are  the  best 
six  or  twelve  productions  of  the  week,  and 
these  should  be  included  on  his  viewing 
schedule.  This  was  the  policy  adopted  by 
Wid  Gunning,  when  motion-picture  critic  of 
the  New  York  Evening  Mail,  and  proved 

250 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

satisfactory  in  two  ways.  It  prevented 
readers  from  seeing  a  lemon  and  was  an 
incentive  for  manufacturers  to  turn  out 
better  productions. 

The  duties  of  the  small-town  motion- 
picture  critic  are  considerably  restricted. 
There  are  probably  but  two  or  three  thea- 
ters in  his  territory,  and  all  that  is  necessary 
is  to  review  the  star  attraction  of  each 
house.  If  the  theaters  favor  the  daily 
change,  as  most  do,  it  is  impossible  to  review 
the  features  in  time  to  be  of  service  to  the 
reader.  For  this  reason  I  am  inclined  to 
the  opinion  that  the  small-town  newspaper 
is  best  served  by  a  syndicate  service. 

Where  will  the  successful  motion-picture 
critics  come  from?  Many  will  be  recruited 
from  the  photoplay-writing  ranks  because 
the  first-hand  experience  thus  gained  will 
have  taught  them  the  qualities  which  go  to 
the  making  of  the  perfect  photoplay. 


251 


LAW  PRACTICE  BY  MOTION   PICTURES 

V/ES,  it  is  quite  true  that  law  will  be  prac- 
•••  ticed  by  the  motion  picture  before  many 
years  have  passed."  This  prediction,  com- 
ing as  it  did  from  George  Julian  Houtain, 
the  well-known  Brooklyn  attorney,  was 
based  on  more  than  mere  theory. 

"I  don't  mind  confessing  that  I  spend 
many  a  pleasant  evening  at  the  photoplay 
theater,"  said  Mr.  Houtain,  "and  these 
visits  have  convinced  me  that  there  exist  big 
possibilities  for  employing  the  film  in  my 
profession.  Every  time  I  think  of  the 
motion  picture  I  see  REALISM  written  in 
large  letters. 

"At  the  time  the  United  Shoe  Machinery 
Company  was  accused  of  effecting  an  unlaw- 
ful monopoly,  the  case  necessitated  much 
technical  knowledge  which  jurymen  could 
hardly  be  expected  to  possess.  Everything 
was  therefore  simplified  by  motion  pictures, 
assisted  with  slides.  The  former  showed 
252 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

how  the  company's  machines  were  operated 
and  the  various  mechanical  processes. 

"The  president  of  the  company  lectured 
to  the  films,  which  were  projected  on  the 
wall  of  the  court-room.  When  the  'bottom- 
ing' process,  which  is  the  most  important 
detail  of  shoe  manufacturing,  was  unfolded, 
the  jurors  were  no  longer  in  doubt  that  the 
United  Company  was  guilty  of  the  charge. 

"In  technical  cases  like  the  foregoing, 
educational  films  prove  of  great  value, 
especially  in  regard  to  the  small  details 
which  count  for  so  much. 

"A  lawyer  may  use  all  the  eloquence  at 
his  command,  yet  he  can  not  help  but  realize 
his  own  limitations  when  up  against  the 
condemning  motion-picture  evidence  of  the 
motion  picture.  Permit  me  to  cite  an 
instance : 

"A  Glasgow  (Scotland)  family  de- 
manded several  thousand  dollars'  compen- 
sation for  injuries  to  their  boy  in  a  street-car 
accident,  claiming  that  the  lad  had  been 
crippled  for  life.  The  case  went  before  the 
court  and  the  rapid-transit  company  lost  the 
day,  for  it  certainly  seemed  feasible  enough, 
since  the  boy  was  on  crutches  and  had  his 
feet  bandaged  in  a  sling. 
253 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

"It  happened,  however,  that  one  of  the 
company's  officials  chanced  to  while  away 
an  idle  hour  at  a  motion-picture  theater,  in 
which  he  saw  a  topical  film  dealing  with  a 
local  sports  event.  He  was  surprised  to  see 
the  boy  outdistancing  his  competitors,  and 
as  the  race  occurred  some  weeks  after  the 
accident,  the  company  was  enabled  to  lodge 
an  appeal,  winning  the  day. 

"The  boy,  when  he  knew  the  game  was 
up,  admitted  that  he  was  as  sound  as  any 
normal  youngster. 

"On  the  other  hand,  it  is  easy  for  the 
unscrupulous  to  use  the  motion  picture  for 
purposes  of  misrepresentation.  I  well  re- 
member reading  about  a  case  that  took  place 
in  German  Southwest  Africa.  A  lonely  and 
wealthy  farmer,  tired  of  remaining  a  bach- 
elor, advertised  in  a  German  newspaper  for 
a  wife  who  was  congenial  and  thoroughly 
domesticated.  This  ad  caught  the  eye  of  a 
fortune-hunter,  who  had  no  other  qualifica- 
tions than  a  pretty  face  and  a  love  of  gaiety. 
She  was  not,  however,  without  ingenuity, 
and  to  this  end  persuaded  an  actress  friend 
to  portray  before  the  motion-picture  camera 
her  talents  for  domestic  work.  The  pros- 
pective husband  duly  received  a  copy  of  the 
254 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

film,  and  was  instantly  smitten  with  her, 
cabling  sufficient  money  for  the  trip. 

"When  they  came  face  to  face  he  was 
angry  at  discovering  that  she  was  not  the 
same  girl  as  the  one  that  had  appeared  in 
the  film.  He  declined  to  have  anything 
further  to  do  with  her,  but  the  scheming 
woman  sued  for  breach  of  promise,  and  the 
farmer  won  the  day  when  the  film  revealed 
her  deception  to  the  judge.  So,  once  again, 
the  film  brought  the  truth  to  light." 

"Do  you  consider  a  knowledge  of 
motion  pictures  will  prove  an  advantage  to 
the  lawyer  presenting  evidence  by  same?" 
I  asked. 

"Indeed  I  do,"  Mr.  Houtain  replied. 
"The  motion  picture  has  brought  many  pro- 
fessions into  being,  and  I  am  convinced  that 
the  motion-picture  lawyer,  when  he  arrives, 
will  be  well  versed  as  to  the  technical  side. 
With  this  knowledge  he  will  be  in  a  position 
to  act  to  the  best  possible  advantage  on 
behalf  of  his  client." 


IT  255 


LI 


AIDING   CRIME   DETECTION  BY  MOTION 
PICTURES 

A  RE  you  aware  that  the  motion  picture 
**•  is  assisting  the  detection  of  crime  in 
America?  Maybe  you  are  not  acquainted 
with  its  capabilities  in  this  connection,  so 
you  will  welcome  being  enlightened. 

The  motion  picture  is  assisting  the  detec- 
tion of  crime,  and  some  months  ago  Com- 
missioner A.  H.  Wood,  of  the  New  York 
Police  Department,  took  the  first  steps 
towards  using  motion  pictures  for  increasing 
the  efficiency  of  his  department.  He  did 
this  by  applying  to  the  Board  of  Estimate 
for  a  fund  of  $30,000. 

While  plans  have  not  yet  been  put  into 
operation,  it  is  intended,  among  other  things, 
to  film  the  daily  line-up  at  police  headquar- 
ters. The  close-ups  of  the  burglars  and 
pickpockets  will  be  filed  in  the  rogues* 
gallery. 

A  motion-picture  camera  will  also  prob- 
256 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

ably  be  concealed  inside  a  window  facing 
saloons,  street  corners  and  other  places  fre- 
quented by  thieves,  gangsters  and  thugs. 

A  film  may  likewise  be  put  to  use  in  pro- 
viding convincing  evidence  when  there  is 
reason  to  doubt  the  statements  made  by  the 
witnesses. 

Regular  dramas  exposing  the  methods 
of  different  types  of  criminals,  and  showing 
how  they  are  brought  to  book,  will  be  pro- 
duced for  the  edification  of  young  detectives. 
Only  those  concerned  will  be  privileged  to 
view  these  photoplays. 

It  may  be  recalled  that  a  riot  occurred 
about  three  years  ago  in  Los  Angeles.  The 
rioters  broke  windows  in  a  reckless  manner, 
thought  nothing  of  impeding  the  progress  of 
trolley-cars,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  fire 
their  revolvers  at  inoffensive  citizens. 

The  police  had  absolutely  no  evidence  to 
bring  specific  charges  home,  but,  as  is  often 
the  case  in  such  events,  several  motion-pic- 
ture camera  men  were  on  the  job.  They 
took  great  risks  to  secure  realistic  views, 
and  it  was  on  the  strength  of  these  that  the 
jury  obtained  the  proof  to  pass  sentences  on 
the  guilty  parties. 

I  happen  to  know  of  a  physician  out  in 

257 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Indiana  whose  nine-year-old  daughter  was 
kidnapped.  He  had  the  law  set  in  motion, 
but  all  searching  efforts  proved  futile.  It 
occurred  to  the  fond  father  to  try  motion 
pictures,  so,  with  the  co-operation  of-  the 
police,  hundreds  of  theaters  were  obliging 
enough  to  run  a  slide  with  his  daughter's 
photograph  as  well  as  a  brief  description  of 
her.  If  any  spectator  had  seen  the  child, 
he  was  asked  to  get  in  touch  with  the  police. 

There  recently  came  to  light  a  case  of 
blackmailing  in  a  Pennsylvania  town.  A 
contractor  was  confident  of  securing  a  re- 
newal of  his  contract  with  the  municipal 
authorities,  but  the  corrupt  councilors  de- 
manded $10,000  for  exercising  their  influ- 
ence. The  contractor,  however,  was  clean, 
and  hit  upon  an  idea  by  which  to  nip  tfreir 
unscrupulousness  in  the  bud. 

He  pretended  to  agree  to  their  plan, 
and  invited  them  to  meet  in  the  best-lighted 
room  at  the  local  hotel.  The  councilors 
fell,  and  took  the  wad  of  bills,  which,  by 
the  way,  were  of  the  stage  kind.  Just  before 
the  crooks  left  he  gently  broke  the  news 
that  a  motion-picture  camera  had  recorded 
their  actions  through  a  hole  in  the  curtain. 

Fearing  exposure,  the  councilors  deemed 

258 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

it  wise  to  play  straight,  so  the  man  secured 
the  contract  without  the  bribe. 

All  these  cases  make  effective  replies  to 
those  misguided  folks  who  maintain  that 
motion  pictures  breed  crime. 


259 


LI1 

MOTION  PICTURES  IN  PRISONS 


convict  finds   prison  life  monot- 

onous,  and  this  is  just  the  thing  that 
permits  brooding,  which  often  causes  a  con- 
vict to  get  his  good-conduct  record  stained. 

Motion  pictures,  however,  can  do  much 
to  promote  a  contented  feeling,  and  it  is  of 
more  than  passing  notice  that  several  of  our 
prisons  should  have  realized  this  fact. 

At  the  Minnesota  State  Prison,  for  in- 
stance, the  prisoners  attend  the  chapel  on 
every  Tuesday  and  Thursday  evening  for 
an  hour,  during  which  time  they  are  enter- 
tained with  motion  pictures. 

Moreover,  the  men  may  talk  to  each 
other  about  the  entertainment.  The  Rev. 
J.  S.  Budlon,  former  chaplain,  is  responsible 
for  the  statement  that  the  film  is  proving  of 
great  value  as  an  educational  force. 

Naturally,  it  would  not  be  the  right 
thing  to  present  before  lawbreakers  photo- 
plays which  portray  such  things  as  bank 
260 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

robberies,  cowboy  rescues,  Indian  fights  and 
stage-coach  hold-ups,  so  slapstick  comedies 
and  refined  dramas  comprise  the  programs, 
which,  needless  to  say,  are  much  enjoyed. 

That  the  introduction  of  motion  pictures 
to  the  shut-ins  has  been  beneficial  is  proven 
by  the  fact  that,  since  they  were  inaugurated 
at  the  Colorado  Penitentiary  at  Canon  City, 
the  average  number  of  violations  of  the 
rules  has  decreased  by  four  hundred. 

Films  could  also  be  employed  to  teach 
convicts  different  trades  and  keep  them  in 
touch  with  the  world's  progress  so  that  they 
will  not  be  like  Rip  Van  Winkles  when  they 
are  free  once  more. 

Some  convicts  serving  life  sentences 
make  the  acquaintance  of  the  motion  picture 
for  the  first  time,  and  they  are  curious  to 
know  all  the  ins  and  outs  of  this  twentieth- 
century  wonder. 

The  recent  move  on  the  part  of  the 
motion-picture  producing  companies  has 
been  to  take  films  of  prison  life.  This  pre- 
sented a  menace  which  Governor  Dunne,  of 
Illinois,  was  quick  to  perceive.  He  did  not 
see  why  convicts  should  be  exposed  to  the 
risk  of  being  recognized  at  the  photoplay 
theaters  throughout  the  country  and  thus  be 
261 


MOTION    PICTURE   EDUCATION 

branded  for  life,  so  he  stipulated  that  films 
should  not  be  produced  in  the  penitentiary 
unless  it  was  impossible  to  recognize  the 
convicts. 

Strange  to  say,  however,  some  of  the 
inmates  of  the  Clinton  State  Prison,  Danne- 
more,  New  York,  did  not  worry  who  saw 
them.  Perhaps  the  photoplay  acting  bug  or 
personal  vanity  got  the  better  of  them. 
Anyway,  it  is  against  the  rule  for  a  motion- 
picture  photographer  to  film  them  with  their 
faces  towards  the  camera,  so  the  operator 
had  to  set  up  his  machine  in  the  rear  of  the 
chapel,  with  the  prisoners  at  the  far  end. 
When  he  turned  the  crank,  some  of  the  men 
turned  round  and  smiled  into  the  camera. 

When  permission  was  applied  for  to 
produce  a  motion  picture  of  life  in  Joliet 
(Ills.)  Prison,  the  warden  refused  permis- 
sion. This  news  got  around  to  the  convicts, 
who  prevailed  upon  him  to  allow  the  film 
producer  to  go  ahead.  The  reason  they 
gave  was  that  they  wanted  the  public  to 
know  how  humanly  treated  they  are. 


262 


LJII 

MAKING  THE  MOTION  PICTURE  "ONE 
OF  THE  FAMILY*' 

1  I  'O  many  of  us  the  motion  picture  means 
•*  a  refreshing  conclusion  to  a  trying  day. 
It  may  therefore  be  considered  as  one  of 
the  bright  sides  of  family  life.  A  certain 
intimacy,  however,  is  lacking,  for  motion 
pictures  are  discussed  in  a  like  manner  in 
thousands  of  homes.  We  can  not  help 
feeling  that  they  are  public  property,  but 
how  differently  do  we  regard  family  photo- 
graphs, which  we  treasure,  and  we  are  care- 
ful to  whom  we  distribute  same. 

Since  we  are  such  ardent  admirers  of 
the  motion  picture,  we  should  make  it  "one 
of  the  family."  The  latest  development  is 
film  motion  portraiture,  which  high-class 
photographers  are  specializing  in. 

Were  you  to  be  "registered"  before  the 
exacting  lens  of  the  motion-picture  camera 
for  eight  minutes,  no  less  than  7,680  sepa- 
rate portraits  would  be  taken  at  the  rate  of 

263 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

sixteen  per  second.  Each  photograph  would 
be  a  momentary  record  of  the  sitter's  face, 
and  not  one  facial  expression  would  be  lost. 
On  the  screen  you  would  be  under  the  eye 
of  the  spectator  for  eight  minutes.  Each  of 
the  7,680  photographs  would  not  be  a  good 
likeness,  but  it  would  be  the  whole  number 
projected  in  rapid  succession  that  would  give 
the  faithful  picture.  You  can  retouch  and 
fake  a  photograph  in  any  way  you  may 
wish,  but  you  can  not  tamper  with  a  film. 
In  fact,  the  only  way  is  to  do  the  faking 
beforehand  by  make-up  and  this  would  give 
the  game  away,  for  the  motion-picture 
camera  hides  nothing. 

Who  would  not  dearly  love  to  have  a 
permanent  record  of  all  the  quaint  gestures 
and  poses  that  make  a  baby  so  adorable? 
As  he  grows  older  these  are  lost  to  us,  but 
if  on  every  birthday  he  was  to  pose  before 
the  camera  to  the  extent  of  ten  feet  of  film, 
we  would  be  able  to  trace  every  stage  of 
his  childhood.  What  an  appropriate  com- 
ing-of-age  present  it  would  make,  too ! 
Children  can  be  shown  indulging  in  their 
favorite  pastimes  and  playing  with  their 
pets.  As  children  are  born  photoplay  actors, 
they  require  comparatively  little  coaching. 
264 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Both  Siegmund  Lubin,  the  well-known  photo- 
play producer,  and  William  Hearst,  the 
newspaper  proprietor,  to  name  but  two,  are 
preserving  motion  pictures  of  their  offspring 
until  they  are  grown  up. 

A  wedding  comes  but  once,  and  often 
the  only  reminder  of  it  is  a  group  photo- 
graph. As  a  French  photographer  adver- 
tised: "Nuptual  Cinema.  To  engaged  per- 
sons :  Do  you  wish  to  preserve  a  vivid,  living 
recollection  of  the  happiest  day  of  your 
life?  Have  a  film  photographed  of  the 
ceremony  (civil  or  religious)  of  your  wed- 
ding, and  in  after  years  you  will  be  able  to 
see  yourselves  on  the  screen — young,  loving, 
full  of  hope  for  the  future." 

The  filming  of  the  actual  wedding  is 
seldom  done.  Instead,  a  private  rehearsal 
is  arranged,  as  the  photographical  condi- 
tions render  it  extremely  difficult  to  record 
the  ceremony  satisfactorily  in  a  church  or 
home.  Weather  conditions  may  result  in 
indistinct  street  scenes.  Then  there  are 
delays  which  may  cause  more  film  to  be 
exposed  and  add  considerably  to  the 
expense. 

At  a  rehearsal,  however,  everything 
generally  passes  off  without  a  hitch.  The 

265 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

cinematographer  explains  in  detail  before- 
hand just  how  he  wishes  the  ceremony  to  be 
performed.  This  will  be  staged  at  his 
studio  in  a  scene  to  represent  the  interior 
of  a  home  or  church. 

Champ  Clark,  the  well-known  politician, 
for  instance,  had  the  wedding  of  his  daugh- 
ter Genevieve,  filmed,  so  that  his  family 
might  always  hark  back  to  it. 

One  pair  I  know,  who  married  in  1909, 
entrust  their  wedding  film  to  the  care  of 
their  bank  for  364  days  during  the  year. 
On  each  anniversary  of  their  marriage  they 
arrange  a  private  exhibition  of  the  film,  to 
which  they  invite  their  friends. 

Another  source  of  satisfaction  is  when 
one  of  the  contracting  parties  passes  away. 
Among  the  passengers  on  the  last  voyage  of 
the  ill-fated  "Titanic"  were  Mary  Farquhar- 
son  and  Daniel  Marvin,  newly  married,  on 
their  honeymoon.  The  husband  went  down 
with  the  steamer,  but  the  wife's  grief  was 
somewhat  lessened  because  she  had  a  film 
of  the  wedding  ceremony. 

Other  occasions  when  films  might  be 
taken  are  birthdays  and  other  family  events 
and  social  gatherings.  We  should  find  many 
faults  in  ourselves  which  we  did  not  before 

266 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

believe  existed.  We  would  be  able  to  cor- 
rect mannerisms  in  deportment  and  speech. 
Perhaps  we  do  not  dress  correctly.  We 
would  notice  that,  too,  so  the  film  can  be  as 
useful  as  it  is  entertaining. 


267 


LIV 

WRITING  A  LOCAL  PHOTOPLAY 

DHOTOPLAY  writing  is  a  bug  and  few 
•••  people  are  able  to  resist  it.  All  aspire 
to  see  their  brain-children  on  the  screen,  but 
in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred  the 
cherished  ambition  is  never  realized.  There 
are  something  like  one  hundred  photoplays 
produced  weekly  by  the  regular  producers, 
and  as  the  majority  of  these  are  the  efforts 
of  staff  writers,  the  field  for  the  free-lance 
is,  therefore,  limited. 

But  if  you  put  on  a  local  photoplay,  you 
can  shut  your  eyes  to  these  conditions. 

Motion  pictures  have  certain  limitations. 
The  first  mistake  is  to  take  a  subject  that 
lends  itself  to  better  treatment  as  a  short 
story.  Such  a  play  is  one  that  requires  a 
great  deal  of  explanatory  matter  in  order  to 
get  its  meaning  across  the  screen,  by  way  of 
leaders  and  inserts.  A  certain  number  of 
these  is  allowed,  but  as  a  rule  there  should 
not  be  more  than  ten  to  fifteen  to  a  one-reel 

268 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

subject.  Even  this  is  a  lot,  and  it  is  best 
that  all  written  explanations  be  reduced  to  a, 
minimum,  and  inserts  used  in  preference  to- 
leaders. 

The  action  should  be  kept  in  one  country 
all  the  time.  In  fiction  one  has  the  whole 
world  to  roam  in,  but  when  it  is  realized 
that  in  a  photoplay  all  such  settings  nearly 
always  have  to  be  taken  on  the  spot  in  order 
to  be  effective,  you  can  readily  see  that  it  is 
impossible  in  ordinary  instances.  Besides, 
the  play  will  have  no  distinctive  qualities 
unless  it  is  set  locally. 

Characterization  is  now  well  developed 
in  photoplays,  and  it  must  be  remembered 
that  these  very  traits  have  to  be  put  over  by 
the  actions  of  the  players. 

Now  to  the  details  of  scenario  construc- 
tion. The  word  "scenario"  is  given  as  the 
name  of  the  photoplay  manuscript.  With 
most  authors  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  think 
out  well,  before  putting  pen  to  paper,  an 
original  and  presentable  idea;  then  the  next 
move  is  to  weave  a  plot  around  it.  When 
you  have  carefully  thought  out  the  plot,  you 
can  go  ahead  and  lay  out  the  scenario  scene 
by  scene.  To  illustrate  my  meaning,  I  can 
not  do  better  than  give  an  actual  example, 
269 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

which  will  make  clear  to  you  the  correct 
manner  in  which  to  set  out  a  photoplay. 
There  are  five  separate  portions,  as  fol- 
lows: 

Title:  This  should  be  written  around 
the  main  idea  of  the  play,  as  it  generally 
enables  you  to  describe  the  play  in  an  apt 
manner,  while  not  at  the  same  time  giving 
too  much  away.  There  is  an  art  in  concoct- 
ing a  title  that  explains  little,  yet  promises 
much.  You  should  strive  to  get  away  from 
the  conventional  path  by  giving  the  scenario 
a  catching  title — something  that  will  arrest 
the  attention  of  everybody. 

Cast  of  characters:  Briefly  explain  the 
characteristics,  etc.,  of  each  leading  role, 
and  include  any  extras  that  will  be  required. 
See  that  every  character  has  his  or  her  part 
to  play,  and  cut  out  any  that  are  not  neces- 
sary for  the  successful  presenting  of  the 
play.  You  may,  of  course,  use  those  that 
lend  "atmosphere"  to  the  scenes. 

Synopsis:  Here  you  set  forth  the  story 
of  the  play  in  a  condensed  form.  You 
must  avoid  the  narrative  strain  and  write 
action  instead — not  the  action  that  takes 
place  in  every  scene,  but  that  in  the  story 
itself. 

270 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

List  of  scenes:  You  use  this  to  summa- 
rize in  a  brief  fashion  all  the  scenes  there 
are  in  a  play. 

Scenario  proper:  This  is  the  most  im- 
portant detail  of  all,  for  you  arrange  the 
play  scene  by  scene.  Every  time  the  camera 
is  moved  from  one  position  to  another  con- 
stitutes the  finish  of  one  scene  and  the  com- 
mencement of  another.  You  should  detail 
the  "business"  sufficiently  to  enable  the  play- 
ers to  grasp  fully  the  possibilities  of  the 
play.  Leaders  and  inserts  should  break  in 
where  needed,  and  an  exterior  scene  should 
be  used  when  a  person  is  traveling  from 
one  house  to  another,  so  as  to  impress  upon 
spectators  the  fact  that  it  is  not  the  same 
house,  for  it  is  bad  form  for  a  player  to 
"drop"  from  the  first  house  into  the  second 
without  fixing  this  detail  in  the  minds  of 
the  audience. 

Here  is  a  sample  scene : 

Leader:  The  Same  Evening. 

Scene  2 — Parlor-ranch.  Flo  seated,  knit- 
ting; Dick  enters;  asks  Flo  to  darn  socks; 
Flo  speaks  indignantly,  saying: 

Leader:  "I'm  Not  Your  Hired  Help." 

Back  to  scene.  Dick  gets  flustered  under 
the  snub;  retreats  to  door;  drops  socks; 

18  271 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

exits.      Flo    picks    up    socks;    kisses    them; 
smiles. 

Do  not  introduce  a  lengthy  scene  unless 
its  action  is  broken  with  explanatory  matter, 
as  otherwise  spectators  grow  restless.  What 
is  going  to  happen  with  the  gradual  straight- 
ening of  things  should  be  left  until  the 
climax,  and  it  improves  a  photoplay  if  the 
unexpected  occurs,  so  that  a  surprise  is 
sprung  upon  the  audience.  You  should,  in 
fact,  work  up  the  interest  from  the  very 
start  and  keep  it  going  until  the  conclusion 
of  the  play. 


272 


LV 

ATTENDING   TO   THE   ACTING 

DHOTOPLAY  acting  is  the  hardest  form 
*•  of  dramatic  art  extant.  All  the  players 
who  have  been  recruited  from  the  theatrical 
stage  admit  it.  The  beginner,  however, 
possesses  an  advantage  in  that  he  has  noth- 
ing to  unlearn. 

There  are,  in  the  producing  of  a  photo- 
play, several  component  parts  which  go  to 
make  up  the  whole,  and,  should  one  fall 
down,  there  will  be  a  broken  link  in  the 
chain,  thus  marring  what  would  perhaps 
otherwise  be  an  excellent  picture. 

When  a  director  selects  a  player  as  an 
extra,  "which  means  a  position  in  the  regular 
stock  company  should  he  or  she  make  good, 
he  closely  criticizes  the  face,  the  shape  of 
which  is  the  deciding  factor. 

As  you  will  probably  recruit  some  of 
your  players  from  a  local  dramatic  society, 
it  is  up  to  you  to  see  that  they  discard  their 
theatrical  mannerisms.  A  photoplayer,  in 

273 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

order  to  convince,  must  act  naturally,  avoid- 
ing all  meaningless  gestures  and  movements. 
But  one  can  not  set  a  standard  for  all  roles. 
If,  for  instance,  an  actor  has  to  portray  a 
man  of  the  backwoods,  he  will  adopt  rough- 
and-ready  methods.  Should,  however,  he  be 
a  highbrow,  there  will  be  a  decided  repose 
in  all  of  his  actions. 

There  is  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  the 
present-day  director  to  draw  hard-and-fast 
rules  and  have  the  players  under  him  express 
their  emotions  in  a  stereotyped  way.  Every- 
body has  an  individuality,  and  to  deprive 
him  or  her  of  this  is  a  big  mistake. 
Although  the  stars  are  allowed  some  lati- 
tude, there  is  a  certain  sameness  in  depicting 
the  emotions.  Such  ones  as  fear,  hate, 
sympathy,  jealousy,  surprise  and  determina- 
tion are  indicated  by  different  shades  of 
frowning. 

You  will  discover,  too,  when  practicing 
in  a  mirror,  by  laughing  and  smiling  in 
different  ways,  that  you  will  express  joy, 
expectation,  happiness  and  delight.  But 
when  you  try  out  weeping  in  all  its  forms, 
some  of  the  emotions  you  will  show  are 
grief,  sadness  and  sympathy.  There  is  also 
a  knack  of  acquiring  the  right  poise  of  the 

274 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

body,  and  in  this  connection  it  is  worth  while 
picking  up  hints  from  the  regular  players. 

To  quote  from  "Making  the  Movies" 
(Macmillan)  :  "The  actor  must  be  very 
cautious  in  the  speed  of  his  movements,  for 
if  he  were  to  walk  briskly  before  the  camera, 
it  would  appear  as  a  run  on  the  film.  Every 
second  sixteen  different  pictures  are  recorded 
on  the  narrow  strip  of  celluloid,  and  if  the 
player  does  not  want  his  walk  to  come  out 
blurred,  he  must  take  good  care  not  to  travel 
faster  than  sixteen  inches  per  second. 

"The  width  of  the  stage  by  the  lens  of 
the  camera  is  nine  feet,  in  which  narrow 
space  a  batch  of  players  have  to  work  to- 
gether under  cramped  conditions.  The 
breadth,  however,  can  be  greater  as  the 
length  increases,  but  oftentimes  important 
situations  have  to  be  acted  through  at  close 
quarters. 

"If  the  director  is  not  careful,  and  the 
actors  equally  alert,  the  work  of  a  player 
in  the  background  will  be  concealed  from 
view.  So  you  will  see  that  careful  attention 
has  to  be  given  to  the  grouping." 


275 


LVI 

COLORS   EMPLOYED   IN   MAKE-UP 

TV  yiAKE-UP  in  motion  pictures  is  an  art; 
•*•*•*•  indeed,  a  science.  Were  it  possible  to 
take  all  the  scenes  outdoors,  it  would  not 
matter  so  much,  but  the  electric  lighting  in 
interior  sets  is  so  powerful  that  if  the  face 
is  not  adequately  made  up  it  assumes  a  flat 
appearance. 

The  face,  to  be  expressive,  must  have  its 
features  shown  up  conspicuously.  The  stage 
player  is  only  seen  by  the  audience  from  the 
other  side  of  the  footlights,  and  therefore 
heavy  make-up  is  not  an  eyesore.  The 
motion-picture  actor,  on  the  other  hand,  puts 
over  his  work  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
camera,  which  magnifies  things  so  many 
times  at  close  range  that  great  skill  is  neces- 
sary if  the  make-up  is  not  to  be  revealed  to 
spectators. 

You  can  not  retouch  the  film  in  such  a 
way  that  all  faults  are  deftly  covered  up, 
for  when  you  consider  that  there  are  sixteen 
276 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

pictures,  or  "frames,"  to  call  them  by  their 
correct  name,  each  i  x  y$  inch,  to  every  foot 
of  film,  you  will  readily  realize  that  the  task 
is  out  of  the  question. 

There  are  players  who  err  on  the  side 
of  liberality,  which  policy  may  be  advisable 
in  some  things,  but  certainly  not  in  photo- 
play make-up. 

Have  you  not  seen  a  young  player  with 
a  pair  of  black  eyes?  You  must  not  imagine 
they  have  been  received  in  a  fistic  contest, 
for  too  much  make-up  has  been  applied. 

Colors  have  most  peculiar  effects  when 
photographed  under  the  glare  of  the  arc- 
lights.  The  players,  for  instance,  have  to 
avoid  rouge  or  any  other  color  with  a  red 
tint,  as  red  has  the  strange  trick  of  photo- 
graphing black  on  the  screen.  Rouge,  how- 
ever, is  permitted  on  the  lips,  but  only  in  a 
light  quantity;  much  would  make  the  mouth 
unusually  black. 

White  is  another  color  which  is  tabooed. 
This  gives  a  chalky  appearance,  and  the 
same  is  true  of  light  blue. 

The  right  colors,  outside  of  the  above- 
mentioned  exceptions,  are  merely  a  matter 
of  individual  tastes,  for  the  player  can  only 
master  make-up  by  adapting  it  to  his 

277 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

features.  I  will  give  an  instance  of  this. 
The  player  with  a  fair  complexion  seldom 
uses  grease-paint  at  all.  He  finds  that  cold- 
cream  with  a  dash  of  a  light-brown  powder 
screens  effectively. 

The  player,  however,  possessing  what  I 
might  term  a  medium  complexion,  uses 
either  a  yellow  or  dark-blue  grease-paint 
after  first  applying  cold-cream  to  the  face, 
but,  in  order  to  prevent  his  face  screening 
like  a  ball  of  grease,  he  covers  it  with  a 
light-brown  powder. 

This  make-up  is  applied  to  the  face  as 
well  as  the  front  and  back  of  the  neck. 

To  make  the  eyebrows  come  out  promi- 
nently, the  player  usually  employs  a  black 
eyebrow  pencil,  but  some  players  prefer  to 
use  it  on  their  eyelashes.  This  is  a  tedious 
and  painful  process. 

However,  should  a  player  be  taking  a 
character  part,  he  accentuates  his  features 
with  a  brown  lining-pencil,  but  does  not 
permit  an  indiscreet  close-up  to  reveal  these 
lines. 


278 


LVII 

SECURING  PERMISSION  FOR  LOCATIONS 

TV /fOTION  pictures  breathe  the  very 
^'^  essence  of  life,  and  this  is  where  the 
motion-picture  photographer  has  a  chance 
to  demonstrate  his  skill.  'The  scene  painter 
takes  a  back  seat,  which  is  as  it  should  be, 
for  the  camera  man  becomes  an  artist 
instead  of  a  crank-turner. 

I  spent  a  recent  vacation  on  a  farm,  and, 
as  is  natural  with  rural  folks,  the  farmer 
with  whom  I  was  staying  wanted  to  know 
the  ins  and  outs  of  my  vocation.  Having 
thus  gained  his  confidence,  he  told  me  about 
a  neighbor  of  his  who  had  been  paid  a  sur- 
prise visit  by  a  motion-picture  company. 
They  wanted  free  access  to  the  farm  for 
one  week,  for  which  permission  they  would 
pay  one  hundred  dollars.  The  extremely 
liberal  offer  was  accepted  without  more  ado, 
and  the  farmer  made  a  tidy  profit  out  of 
the  players'  board. 

My  newly  found  friend  was  anxious  tO' 

279 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

do  the  same.  The  pride  of  his  estate  is  a 
good-sized  waterfall,  by  the  side  of  which 
is  an  old  mill.  He  felt  that  this  was  worth 
something;  so  it  was,  but  I  took  great  pains 
to  point  out  that  no  motion-picture  company 
would  run  up  for  these  alone  unless  hard 
pressed.  These  two  attractions  might  prove 
the  deciding  factor,  but  he  would  have  to 
assure  them  that  his  farm  offered  a  wide 
range  of  locations. 

I  cite  this  case  to  prove  to  you  how 
expensive  is  the  search  for  locations,  and 
the  attitude  taken  by  rural  folks. 

The  big  producing  concerns  can  sustain 
it,  but  how  about  you,  a  free-lance?  So 
many  folks  have  gotten  the  mistaken  idea 
that  motion-picture  producers  spend  their 
money  like  water,  that  you  are  liable  to  be 
branded  as  one  of  the  tribe. 

When  you  produce  a  film  you  take  a  big 
chance,  and  it  is  therefore  up  to  you  to 
reduce  expenses  as  far  as  is  possible.  If 
you  need  locations  on  private  property  for 
an  educational  subject  or  a  local  photoplay, 
it  is  best  to  feel  your  way.  Try,  first  of  all, 
to  obtain  the  necessary  permission  without 
a  fee,  but,  if  money  is  required,  explain  how 
differently  situated  you  are  from  the  national 
280 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

producer,  and  offer  a  share  of  your  profits. 

What  is  the  attitude  of  your  park 
authorities  in  regard  to  the  taking  of 
exteriors?  They  may  permit  you  to  use  a 
kodak  as  freely  as  you  wish,  yet  impose 
certain  restrictions  when  a  motion-picture 
camera  is  used. 

The  Brooklyn  park  department,  for  in- 
stance, classifies  motion  pictures  as  a  com- 
mercial product,  and  now  charges  tolls.  If 
a  film  company  or  individual  causes  a  troupe 
of  not  more  than  ten  players  to  work  in  any 
of  its  parks,  the  fee  is  five  dollars. 

If,  however,  heavy  "props"  or  artificial 
scenery  is  employed,  or  the  company  is  more 
than  ten  and  not  over  twenty-five,  ten  dollars 
is  charged.  Each  horse  is  rated  at  one 
dollar. 

It  is  not  always  realized  by  those  respon- 
sible for  the  control  of  our  parks  that  harm 
is  done  when  they  place  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  cinematographers,  whose  efforts  are  often 
shown  the  country  over,  and  the  "atmos- 
phere" injected  acts  as  a  boost  for  the  place 
where  the  scenes  were  filmed. 

An  instance  of  this  occurred  in  New 
Orleans  not  long  ago.  The  Fox  Film  Cor- 
poration applied  for  permission  to  take 

281 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

several  scenes  in  City  Park,  but  were  refused 
by  the  City  Park  Board.  The  matter  was 
taken  up  by  the  New  Orleans  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  who  feared  that  their  petty 
action  would  prevent  New  Orleans  from 
becoming  a  film-producing  center.  The  City 
Park  Board,  however,  had  the  good  sense 
to  realize  their  mistake. 

The  weapons  used  in  war  films  are 
harmless,  so  a  mounted  policeman  made  a 
fool  of  himself  when  he  arrested  a  troupe 
of  cowboys  and  soldiers  engaged  at  fighting 
in  Van  Courtland  Park,  New  York  City. 
He  took  them  to  the  Morrisania  Court, 
where  he  charged  them  with  carrying  guns 
as  opposed  to  the  Sullivan  law. 

The  magistrate  discovered  that  the  guns 
were  not  loaded,  and  dismissed  the  players 
when  matters  were  explained.  The  com- 
pany in  question  now  obtains  a  permit  from 
the  police  department  when  any  of  their 
players  have  occasion  to  carry  firearms  in 
public. 

For  these  reasons  I  would  advise  you  to 
make  inquiries  before  exposing  film  in  public 
parks. 


282 


LVIII 

TAKING  THE  EXTERIORS 

TV7E  realize,  when  we  come  to  outdoor 
*  *  work,  that  motion-picture  producing 
is  more  closely  linked  with  the  photographic 
art  than  it  is  with  the  theatrical  stage.  The 
latter  can  not  give  genuine  exteriors  for  love 
or  money,  but  these  constitute  an  asset  in 
motion  pictures  which  more  than  compen- 
sates for  the  absence  of  the  spoken  word. 

Motion-picture  producing  companies 
think  nothing  of  sending  troupes  of  players 
hundreds  of  miles  in  search  of  "local  color." 
It  pays  them  in  the  long  run,  because,  if  they 
were  obliged  to  fake  natural  backgrounds 
in  the  studio,  the  sets  would  probably  cost 
as  much  as  their  traveling  expenses.  The 
scenic  artist  may  be  the  most  skilled  man  in 
his  profession,  yet  he  can  not  put  one  over 
nature  and  get  away  with  it.  The  artificial- 
ness  will  be  plainly  apparent  to  the  fans, 
who  will  regard  the  produced  effort  with 
disgust. 

283 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

In  an  amateur  photoplay,  natural  back- 
grounds are  even  more  important.  It  is  up 
to  you  to  inject  as  much  local  "atmosphere" 
as  possible,  for  otherwise  their  efforts  will 
not  appear  half  as  effective.  Folks  like  to 
recognize  outdoor  scenes,  especially  as  they 
are  presented  from  a  new  viewpoint — the 
motion-picture  camera. 

A  photoplay  in  which  exteriors  predomi- 
nate has,  for  some  unexplainable  reason, 
become  associated  with  thrilling  stunts. 
Must  you,  then,  do  the  same  in  order  to 
hold  the  interest  of  an  audience?  Once 
upon  a  time  it  was  generally  taken  for 
granted  that  the  attention  of  fans  could  only 
be  sustained  if  something  was  doing  all  the 
time.  The  word  action  got  to  be  misinter- 
preted, for  the  new  school  of  directors  has 
introduced  a  subtle  kind  of  action — that  in 
which  a  player  expresses  a  good  deal  with 
a  twitch  of  the  face. 

It  takes  years  of  experience  to  master 
this  knack — for  knack  it  is — so  it  is  best 
that  you  adopt  the  broader  means  of  expres- 
sion. You  should  therefore  attempt  either 
a  slapstick  comedy  or  a  refined  melodrama. 
You  can  then  have  the  villain  ducked  under 
the  village  pump,  the  hero  tied  to  the  rail- 

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MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

road  tracks  at  the  local  crossing,  or  stage 
the  fight  between  the  hero  and  villain  at  the 
edge  of  the  nearest  cliff.  These  stunts  have 
been  done  innumerable  times,  and  I  have 
only  suggested  them  so  that  you  may  know 
along  which  lines  to  work.  While  it  is  best 
to  think  up  new  incidents,  even  the  common- 
place ones  would  interest  because  you  serve 
them  up  in  a  new  "dress." 

This  is  not  to  suggest,  however,  that  you 
kill  off  any  members  of  your  filming  party 
in  actual  reality,  for  if  reasonable  precau- 
tions are  taken,  the  dangers  incurred  in  put- 
ting over  stunts  are  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
The  chances  are  that  some  of  your  players 
will  be  opposed  to  assisting  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  thrills,  but  the  danger  element,  you 
must  point  out,  is  part  and  parcel  of  the 
photoplayer's  work. 

The  following  experience  fell  to  Leah 
Baird's  lot.  I  tell  it  in  the  Vitagraph 
player's  own  words:  "In  'Ivanhoe'  I  was 
Rebecca,  and  King  Baggot,  as  'Brian  de 
Bois,'  had  to  carry  me  off.  Well,  the  steed 
threw  us  both  to  the  ground,  but  King 
Baggot  quickly  got  up  and  pulled  me  aside 
before  the  horse  had  a  chance  to  roll  over 


me." 


285 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Accidents  are  liable  to  occur  at  any  time, 
for  the  players  have  to  carry  out  almost 
everything  in  grim  reality. 

The  big  mistake  made  by  the  average 
regular  producer  to-day  is  to  repeat  exte- 
riors. If  he  chose  to  do  so,  he  could  intro- 
duce a  wide  variety  of  natural  backgrounds, 
but  he  seems  to  prefer  to  confine  himself  to 
a  few.  This  is  sheer  laziness  in  too  many 
cases,  for  he  saves  time  and  trouble  when  he 
does  not  have  to  change  over  for  every 
scene. 

Your  position,  however,  is  quite  differ- 
ent. Your  footage  will,  for  cost-of-produc- 
tion  reasons,  naturally  be  limited,  and  it  is 
to  your  advantage  to  make  every  foot  count. 
If  you  must  repeat  a  scene,  take  a  new  angle 
of  the  setting,  otherwise  a  "close-up." 

Many  excellent  photoplays  are  spoiled 
through  onlookers  being  permitted  to  butt 
into  a  scene.  The  producing  of  an  exterior 
always  attracts  a  crowd,  and  nothing  de- 
tracts more  from  the  dramatic  value  of  a 
scene  than  persons  who  stare  hard  at  the 
camera.  This  may  be  obviated  if  you  take 
scenes  early  in  the  morning,  when  few  folks 
are  about,  or  by  rigging  up  a  dummy  camera 
to  deceive  the  curious  ones. 
286 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Exterior  work,  of  course,  depends 
wholly  on  the  vagaries  of  the  weather. 
Clear  work  is  essential,  for  bad  photography 
shows  up  awfully  bad  on  the  screen  and 
often  hides  important  "business"  put  over 
by  the  players.  Select,  therefore,  a  clear 
day.  If  the  sun  is  shining,  the  camera 
should  be  pointed  north,  so  that  there  will 
be  no  shadows  to  place  the  players  at  a 
serious  disadvantage. 

Results  also  depend  upon  the  right 
diaphragm  being  employed.  The  most  effec- 
tive way  by  which  to  test  the  weather  con- 
ditions is  with  a  Watkins  actimometer. 

The  height  of  the  lens  is  another  impor- 
tant detail,  and  it  is  one  which  requires  even 
more  attention  in  exteriors,  which  are  taken 
in  all  kinds  of  positions.  If  you  run  to 
extremes,  your  players  will  either  appear  like 
giants  or  else  like  pigmies.  It  is  up  to  you 
to  hit  upon  a  happy  medium.  There  is  no 
standard  technique,  because  every  worker 
has  his  own  ideas  of  what  viewpoint  is  best, 
but  most  cinematographers  prefer  to  focus 
over  the  actors'  heads.  You  will  learn  your 
best  viewpoint  from  experience. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  you  will 
require  to  follow  a  vehicle  in  motion.  This 

19  287 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

is  done  by  placing  the  camera  on  a  stand  in 
another  vehicle  which  follows  behind. 

An  artistic  way  of  accentuating  a  portion 
of  action  without  flashing  to  and  fro  is  to 
"panoram"  a  scene.  This  is  done  by  letting 
the  tripod  head  slowly  revolve  in  the  desired 
direction. 

Lastly,  when  you  select  locations,  regard 
them  from  the  angle  of  an  artist,  for  they 
must  be  artistic  in  order  to  convince. 


288 


LIX 

LIGHTING  NIGHT  EXTERIORS 

PHE  cinematographer  who  is  anxious  to 
•*•  increase  his  versatility — and  I  have  yet 
to  know  one  who  is  not — will  find  night- 
work  an  excellent  outlet. 

Night-work  in  the  studio  is  no  different 
from  that  done  by  daylight,  but  exteriors 
may  be  given  a  new  slant  and  some  unusual 
subjects  secured. 

You  need  not  confine  yourself  to  one 
particular  kind  of  picture — night  outdoor 
cinematography  is  equally  possible  with  the 
news  film,  educational  or  the  regular  photo- 
play. 

I  have  seen  views  of  native  processions 
at  midnight,  campfire  and  battle  scenes,  New 
York's  Broadway  illuminated  at  night,  the 
exterior  of  a  house  with  the  lights  shining 
in  the  windows,  and  an  automobile  race  in 
the  dark. 

I  mention  these  instances  to  prove  the 
scope  which  exists. 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Now,  the  vital  detail  in  night  cinema- 
tography is  getting  the  artificial  lighting  just 
right. 

For  scenes  of  short  duration  and  taken 
but  a  few  feet  away  from  the  camera,  mag- 
nesium or  aluminum  flashes  are  generally 
satisfactory.  These  are  made  by  mixing 
one  part  of  magnesium  or  aluminum  powder 
with  four  parts  of  well-dried  and  finely  pow- 
dered sodium,  same  being  placed  in  long 
cylindrical  cardboard  cases. 

What  has  to  be  guarded  against  is  the 
powerful  light  of  the  flares  being  exposed 
to  the  glass  of  the  camera's  lens.  The 
fogged  film  which  otherwise  results  may  be 
obviated  by  reflectors. 

If  a  flare  is  not  long  enough  for  a  scene 
of  a  minute  or  so's  duration,  somebody 
must  be  ready  with  another  light  before  the 
first  one  goes  out,  or  the  camera  stopped 
while  the  change  is  made. 

In  developing  the  film,  plain  metol 
should  be  employed  so  as  to  eliminate 
harshness. 

A  more  reliable  device  for  all-round 
night-work  is  the  Panchroma  Portable  Arc- 
lamp,  which  has  been  effectively  employed 
as  automobile  and  locomotive  headlights, 

290 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

street-lamps,  burglar-lamps  and  searchlights 
on  vessels.  This  is  to  name  but  a  few  of 
its  accomplishments. 

It  contains  two  arcs  which  require  fifteen 
amperes  at  no  volts,  giving  forth  eight 
thousand  candle-power. 

The  lamp  is  decidedly  distinctive  in  that 
the  same  solenoid  feeds  the  two  arcs,  which 
waste  comparatively  little  resistance  current, 
as  they  operate  in  series,  with  fifty  volts 
across  the  arc. 

The  lamp  is  exceedingly  easy  to  carry, 
its  weight  not  exceeding  twenty  pounds. 
D.  C.  or  A.  C.  current  may  be  used,  and  the 
lamp  is  easily  connected  where  electric  cur- 
rent is  obtainable,  as  it  is  self-contained  with 
collapsible  reflector,  necessary  resistance 
wires,  etc. 

The  light  is  of  a  soft,  brilliant  tone. 
This  is  because  the  small  carbon  is  subjected 
to  chemical  treatment,  with  the  result  that 
the  ultra-violet  and  a  tiny  portion  of  the 
spectrum  are  discarded. 

The  blue  portion  of  the  spectrum  often 
prevents  photographic  daylight  in  that  the 
blue  is  accentuated.  This  lamp  produces  a 
varied  range  of  colors  and  shadows. 


291 


LX 

LIGHTING  INTERIORS 

DADLY  lighted  interiors  do  an  untold 
*-*  amount  of  harm  to  a  motion  picture, 
and  must  be  guarded  against. 

In  some  of  the  efforts  of  the  regular 
producers,  who  should  know  better,  I  have 
seen  the  interiors  so  dimly  lighted  that  they 
reminded  me  of  the  utmost  depths  of  gloom. 
On  the  other  hand,  at  times  the  illumination 
has  been  so  unskillfully  arranged  that  the 
features  of  the  players'  faces  were  blotted 
out. 

It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to 
make  a  blunder  in  the  lighting  of  interiors. 
I  will  take  it  for  granted  that  you  have  not 
yet  obtained  a  studio.  Out  in  California, 
and  even  in  the  East  during  the  summer 
months,  it  is  possible  to  stage  interiors  in 
the  open.  This  is  usually  done  on  a  plat- 
form, without  the  aid  of  artificial  light. 
The  wind  plays  havoc  with  the  window- 
curtains  of  such  interiors. 
292 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

There  are,  however,  many  days  in  the 
year  when  this  inexpensive  method  is  out  of 
the  question  because  of  the  weather,  so  you 
will  need  an  indoor  studio  rather  than 
remain  idle. 

The  ideal  location  for  a  studio  is  one 
facing  north  and  south,  in  an  elevated  posi- 
tion, so  that  other  buildings  will  not  shield 
the  flood  of  daylight.  It  is  preferable  that 
the  roof  be  about  twenty  feet  above  the 
stage.  Glass  should  be  used  for  the  roof, 
and  the  glass  should  extend  to  within  three 
feet  of  the  ground  on  each  side. 

The  regular  motion-picture  producers 
vse  three  kinds  of  lamps  for  interiors; 
namely,  the  mercury  vapor-lamp,  the  arc 
and  the  thousand-watt  gas-filled  incandes- 
cent. If  these  skilled  workers  have  found 
them  entirely  practical,  then  you  can  not  do 
better  than  do  likewise. 

There  will  be  days  when  the  light  which 
filters  through  will  require  but  little  artificial 
aid,  and  in  this  connection  the  thousand-watt 
gas-filled  incandescent  is  unequaled. 

But  on  those  days  when  the  daylight  is 
inferior,  the  other  two  lamps  may  be 
adopted.  Of  the  two,  I  would  advise  the 
mercury-vapor  lamp. 

293 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  arc  sheds  such  brilliant  rays  that  it 
seriously  affects  the  eyes  of  the  players,  who 
strive  hard  not  to  show  the  fact  in  their 
work.  Not  infrequently  a  player  has  to 
take  a  day  off,  as  the  after-result  is  inflam- 
mation of  the  eyes. 

To  the  layman  the  mercury-vapor  lamp 
does  not  seem  so  powerful;  it  does  not  con- 
sume so  much  current  and  yet  gives  a  nice, 
soft  light  for  photographic  purposes.  The 
mercury-vapor  lamp  is  in  the  form  of  a 
tube,  from  twenty-eight  to  seventy-five  inches 
long,  with  a  500-6000  candle  capacity.  The 
advantage  of  these  lamps  is  that  they  light 
a  fairly  large  area. 

The  motion-picture  producers,  as  a  rule, 
arrange  the  tubes  in  unit  banks,  each  one 
containing  eight  tubes. 

The  reflectors  supplied  in  connection 
with  the  tubes  are  satisfactory  for  still 
photography  work,  but  motion-picture  ex- 
posures are  so  short  that  double  the  number 
of  lamps  is  needed.  It  is  therefore  advis- 
able to  employ  white  enameled  semi-cylin- 
drical reflectors. 

Next  is  the  arrangement  of  the  lamps. 
If  you  desire  to  take  big  scenes,  you  can  not 
do  better  than  adopt  the  fixed-light  method. 

294 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  use  of  portable  lights,  however, 
allows  you  to  concentrate  all  your  lighting 
facilities  on  a  single  small  scene. 

You  may  use  overhead  trolley  or  mono 
rails  for  switching  the  lights  in  the  desired 
position,  or  else  have  the  lights  fixed  onto 
frames  and  moved  on  casters. 

The  best  article  to  use  when  it  is 
necessary  to  shut  out  overhead  light  is 
a  heavy  canvas  screen,  which  you  should 
fix  by  ropes  above  the  players'  heads. 
This  should  be  attached  in  such  a  way 
that  it  is  easy  to  cut  off  any  angle  of  side 
lighting. 

You  can  not  light  every  scene  in  a  like 
manner;  you  have  to  be  governed  by  the 
principles  of  interior  lighting;  if,  for  in- 
stance, the  time  is  twilight,  you  must  suggest 
the  shades  of  night.  The  same  is  true  of 
the  interiors  of  a  workingman's  home  and  a 
millionaire's  mansion. 

Much  depends  on  the  staging  being  in 
harmony,  and  things  to  be  avoided  are 
glossy  white  bric-a-brac  and  deep  black  pic- 
ture-frame and  furniture. 

The  most  general  principle  of  lighting  is 
on  a  gradual  scale.  Make  it  more  power- 
ful on  one  side  than  on  its  neighbor,  and 
295 


MOTION    PICTURE   EDUCATION 

also  make  the  light  stronger  at  the  front  of 
the  set  than  at  the  back. 

You  must  also  take  care  of  the  top 
lighting,  and  the  attention  to  all  these  details 
insures  the  players  being  shown  up  in  relief. 

Do  not  neglect  to  provide  adequate  ven- 
tilation, for  the  powerful  artificial  light  is 
apt  to  make  the  studio  stuffy.  In  the  summer 
months  the  heat  is  almost  unbearable. 


296 


LXI 

STAGING  INTERIORS 

OTAGING  the  interior  sets  in  a  photoplay 
^  is  not  so  easy  as  it  looks.  One  is  apt  to 
credit  the  regular  motion-picture  producers, 
by  their  extensive  experience,  with  being 
perfect  in  this  important  detail,  yet  the  fact 
remains  that  they  commit  an  awful  blunder 
every  now  and  then. 

Who  has  not  seen  films  in  which  the 
clock  kept  the  same  time,  although  several 
hours'  lapse  of  time  occurred?  Maybe  you 
have  also  spotted  furniture  of  a  wrong 
period  in  a  historical  production.  A  con- 
nected telephone  in  a  vacated  house  is  also 
a  common  error. 

These  are  some  of  the  things  the  aver- 
age director  has  gotten  into  the  habit  of 
overlooking.  It  is  not  because  he  is  afraid 
to  stage  them  that  he  avoids  interiors 
wherever  possible.  Expense  is  the  deciding 
factor. 

You,  as  an  amateur,  might  deem  an 
297 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

interior  necessary  in  many  places  which  the 
director  would  cover  up  with  an  exterior  or 
leader.  Supposing,  for  instance,  you  have 
the  extremely  likely  situation  of  a  character 
going  into  a  store  to  make  a  purchase.  In 
all  probability  nothing  takes  place,  of  im- 
portance to  the  play,  inside  the  store.  Why, 
then,  go  to  the  expense  and  trouble  of  stag- 
ing such  a  scene? 

I  will  tell  you  what  a  regular  director 
does  when  confronted  vby  such  a  problem. 
He  shows  the  actor  entering  the  store,  after 
which  he  introduces  a  scene  from  another 
portion  of  the  play.  He  then  switches  back 
to  the  same  exterior,  which  now  shows  the 
actor  coming  out  of  the  store  with  his  pur- 
chase. 

There  is  also  the  well-worn  situation  of 
the  hero  proposing  to  the  heroine.  Is  it 
necessary  that  this  should  be  done  in  the 
parlor?  If  not,  it  may  be  filmed  in  the 
garden  or  a  similar  place,  with  equally  good 
results. 

And  when  a  director  does  introduce  an 
interior  he  generally  contrives  to  make  it 
work  precious  hard.  He  will  have  it  appear 
near  the  beginning  and  continue  at  intervals 
during  the  play  until  the  end. 

298 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

I  want  also  to  impress  upon  you  the  fact 
that  the  fewer  interiors  in  your  local  play, 
the  better  it  will  be.  Since  you  will  wish  to 
know  my  reason,  I  may  say  that  you  natu- 
rally want  to  make  your  local  photoplay 
decidedly  distinctive  in  character.  Your 
actors  and  story  help  to  this  end,  but  what 
audiences  will  look  forward  to  most  will  be 
familiar  local  backgrounds.  Those  put  on 
inside  the  studio  can  not  be  any  different 
from  those  contained  in  a  regular  photoplay, 
so  only  make  use  of  interiors  when  abso- 
lutely necessary  and  there  is  no  other  way 
of  avoiding  them. 

Some  directors  are  addicted  to  the  bad 
practice  of  faking  exteriors.  Probably  the 
director  will  be  called  upon  to  stage  an  out- 
door, summer  party  scene  in  New  York  in 
December.  It  is,  naturally,  impossible  to 
obtain  the  desired  backgrounds  when  the 
country  is  snow  and  ice  bound.  A  troupe  of 
players  could,  of  course,  be  sent  to  either 
Florida  or  California,  but  the  expense  would 
be  prohibitive. 

Natural  backgrounds  represent  the  great- 
est charm  of  the  motion  picture,  and  it  is 
therefore  all  the  more  deplorable  to  see  a 
director  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  the  so- 

299 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

called  legitimate  stage,  which,  by  its  limita- 
tions, is  compelled  to  adopt  such  methods. 

I  say,  and  will  repeat,  that  if  you  are 
unable  to  secure  the  exteriors  you  require, 
leave  the  play  alone  until  you  can.  In  the 
interim  you  are  free  to  proceed  with  an- 
other. 

I  well  remember  reading  the  experiences 
of  two  young  men  who  started  a  feature 
film  company.  The  faults  they  made  in  the 
putting  on  of  interiors  were  to  stage  a 
garden  scene  in  a  conservatory  and  permit 
the  roof  and  sides  to  show  in  the  picture. 

Another  interior  revealed  a  stage-hand 
calmly  walking  in  at  the  back  of  the  scene, 
while  a  mirror  in  one  of  the  scenes  was 
placed  in  such  an  inappropriate  position  that 
it  disclosed  the  camera  man  turning  the 
crank. 

It  is  absolutely  essential  that  the  canvas 
employed  for  the  scenery  has  not  been 
painted  upon  before,  because  there  is  the 
big  chance  that  the  portions  which  are 
invisible  to  the  naked  eye  will  come  out  on 
the  film. 

In  painting  a  scene,  you  are  no  doubt 
under  the  impression  that  black  and  white 
are  most  adapted  for  photographic  pur- 

300 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

poses.  They  are  not,  however,  but,  instead,, 
impart  a  funeral  appearance  to  a  scene. 

The  most  effective  colors  to  use  are 
brown  and  white  of  the  same  hues.  In  na 
case  should  different  tints  be  mixed,  but  an 
equal  mixture  be  made  of  the  same  shades 
of  these  two  colors. 

The  actors  are  now  called  upon  to  accen- 
tuate the  coloring  scheme  by  being  dressed 
in  clothes  which  afford  a  powerful  con- 
trast of  light  and  dark.  Dark  brown  or 
blue  and  yellow  will  photograph  most  satis- 
factorily. 

It  might  be  well  for  me  to  point  out 
that  in  such  a  scene  as  the  interior  of  a  log 
cabin,  where  a  player  opens  the  door  reveal- 
ing a  mountain  or  prairie  back-drop,  this 
should  not  be  photographed  too  close  to  the 
camera,  else  its  artificialness  will  be  readily 
apparent.  In  the  painting  of  a  back-drop  a 
lighter  white  and  a  darker  brown  should  be 
used  than  in  the  near  scenery.  The  latter 
must  likewise  be  substantial,  as  it  would  not 
do  to  see  an  actor  lean  against  a  wall  and 
its  flimsiness  be  shown. 

Such  "props"  as  armor  and  silver  plate 
may  reflect  in  such  a  way  as  to  distract 
attention  fro~i  the  players.  To  take  the 

301 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

brightness  out  of  shiny  articles,  it  is  advis- 
able to  rub  soap  over  them. 

In  regard  to  furniture,  oak  gives  rather 
a  doleful  appearance  to  a  room,  while  wal- 
nut produces  a  satisfactory  effect  under  all 
conditions.  Mahogany,  however,  comes  out 
far  too  glossy.  You  should  also  place 
satinwood  and  marqueterie  on  the  taboo  list, 
as  they  both  photograph  the  direct  opposite. 

Always  make  a  point  of  having  your 
principal  actors  near  to  the  middle  of  a 
scene.  Then,  if  you  want  to  put  across  a 
bit  of  "business"  which  can  not  be  shown  in 
the  full  scene,  it  is  easy  to  inject  a  close-up. 

You  should  also  see  that  no  actor  hides 
the  action  of  another,  nor  allow  their  heads 
to  be  in  a  straight  line. 

You  had  best  set  the  camera  upon  a  tall 
tripod,  as  then  there  will  be  no  danger  of 
the  players  appearing  shorter  than  they 
actually  are.  The  best  way  to  prevent  them 
from  getting  out  of  focus  is  to  draw  a 
chalk-line  all  round  the  area  covered  by  the 
camera. 


302 


LXII 

TRICK  EFFECTS 

1  I  'RICK  effects  are  so  common  in  regular 
•••  photoplays  that  you  may  desire  to 
experiment  on  a  small  scale. 

Suppose  the  character  lies  asleep  in  a 
chair;  the  soul  removes  itself  from  the  body, 
walks  about  the  room  as  though  through 
air,  and  finally  goes  back  to  the  body. 

You  would  have  to  film  this  situation 
twice  on  the  same  strip  of  negative,  making 
the  two  images  superpose.  First  gradually 
close  the  lens  to  zero,  but  on  the  second 
exposure  open  up  the  diaphragm  in  a  like 
way.  Before  re-exposing  the  wound-back 
film  remove  the  gauge. 

Another  good  effect  is  that  in  which  the 
players  fancy  a  ghost  is  in  their  midst.  The 
actors  must  remain  perfectly  still,  which  is 
very  hard  if  they  have  to  put  over  any 
emotional  work.  Rehearse  these  scenes 
carefully  and  mark  with  chalk  the  exact 
path  the  ghost  takes,  for  the  "ghost"  must 
20  303 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

also  know  his  bearings  if  his  actions  are  to 
tally. 

First  film  the  actors  and  permit  the 
ghost  to  do  his  stunts  all  alone.  After  com- 
pleting the  two  negatives,  place  one  at  a 
time  in  a  rotary  printing-machine  and  turn 
the  negative  film  towards  the  unexposed  and 
sensitive  side  of  a  positive  print.  Pass  the 
two  films  at  the  same  time  so  that  an  impres- 
sion is  made.  Repeat  the  process  through 
the  printing-machine  with  the  second  nega- 
tive, after  which  develop  the  positive  print 
in  the  ordinary  manner. 

Suppose  you  introduce  a  player  in  a  dual 
role  and  desire  him  on  the  stage  in  both 
parts  at  the  same  time.  The  two  characters 
can  not  come  in  actual  contact,  so  the  best 
a  player  can  do  is  to  "register"  at  the 
proper  times. 

Divide  the  scene  into  two  component 
parts  with  the  aid  of  a  thread.  Attach  a 
piece  of  black  cardboard  to  the  front  of  the 
camera  so  that  only  half  of  the  lens  is 
exposed.  Place  the  camera  in  the  exact 
middle  of  the  set,  and  when  the  action  in 
one-half  Is  completed,  attend  to  the  other 
half,  but  before  "shooting"  remove  the 
hood  to  the  other  side  of  the  lens. 
304 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

You  must  take  care  of  perspective,  for 
if  the  hero  and  the  villain  are  one  and  the 
same,  it  would  be  up  to  you  to  keep  them 
both  at  the  same  distance  from  the  camera. 
If,  for  instance,  the  hero  was  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  background,  while  the  villain 
was  near  the  camera,  they  would  appear 
respectively  as  a  pigmy  and  a  giant. 

Maybe  you  have  wondered  if  there  are 
any  secrets  about  taking  close-ups,  especially 
those  showing  facial  studies.  As  the  lower 
part  of  the  body  is  concealed  from  view,  it 
is  very  simple  to  lay  foot-guides  on  the 
studio  floor.  These  should  be  six-inch  strips 
of  wood,  from  six  to  eight  feet  long,  held 
upright  by  braces.  Arrange  them  in  V 
shape.  This  method  insures  perfect  natural- 
ness on  the  part  of  the  players  in  taking 
their  poses. 

The  keyhole,  or  magnifying,  effect  is 
technically  termed  a  "mask."  Attach  a 
rectangular-shaped  metal  plate,  the  size  of 
which  should  be  one  inch  by  three-quarters 
of  an  inch,  to  the  lens  of  the  camera.  Inside 
the  first  mask  fix  another  to  correspond 
with  the  shape  desired. 

The  dissolving  in  and  out  of  scenes  is 
far  superior  to  the  old,  abrupt  method,  and 
305 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

is  especially  effective  in  visualizing  people's 
thoughts. 

Attach  a  lever  to  the  diaphragm  and 
shut  off  at  the  conclusion  of  a  scene.  Wind 
the  first  exposed  film  back  to  the  camera's 
upper  box,  and  keep  the  diaphragm  almost 
closed  when  commencing  to  expose  the  sec- 
ond scene.  Gradually  open  the  diaphragm. 

Maybe  you  will  want  to  show  a  vision 
in  the  corner  of  a  scene.  Proceed  by  placing 
a  mask  in  the  lens  shade.  The  shape  of 
the  mask  depends  upon  the  portion  of  neg- 
ative you  wish  unexposed,  but  you  will  have 
to  take  the  vision  scene  with  a  mask  which 
tallies  with  the  previously  exposed  portion. 
To  complete  the  effect,  run  the  film  back  in 
the  top  box  and  expose  same  for  the  second 
time,  when  use  a  mask  that  corresponds  with 
the  previously  unexposed  portion. 


306 


LXIII 

TACTICS  ADOPTED  IN  FILMING  NATURAL 
HISTORY  SUBJECTS 

T  TNLESS  you  possess  unlimited  patience, 
^•^  do  not  attempt  natural  history  subjects, 
as  you  are  at  war  with  Nature,  and  you 
know  what  that  means. 

I  honestly  believe  we  can  learn  a  whole 
lot  from  the  experiences  of  others,  hence  my 
reason  for  mentioning  the  tactics  adopted 
by  other  cinematographers. 

Edward  A.  Salisbury,  who  has  put 
America  on  the  natural  history  map,  secured 
some  snappy  views  of  the  eagle  by  climbing 
up  an  exceedingly  tall  pine-tree,  struggling 
gamely  with  his  camera,  which  weighed 
eighty  pounds.  To  guard  against  possible 
attacks  on  the  part  of  the  mother  bird,  he 
carried  a  nasty-looking  stick.  It  proved, 
however,  no  easy  task  to  fix  the  camera 
in  the  top  boughs  of  this  majestic  forest 
specimen,  so  he  tried  one  way  and  another 
until  the  machine  would  keep  in  position, 

307 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

and  then  had  the  utmost  difficulty  in 
coaxing  the  young  eagles  to  remain  in  their 
nests. 

To  obtain  a  film  study  of  herons,  he 
made  screens  out  of  vegetation  growths 
picked  from  a  tract  haunted  by  the  birds. 
These  screens  were  so  cleverly  arranged  to 
match  the  undergrowth  that  even  Mr.  Salis- 
bury himself,  on  returning  the  next  morning, 
wandered  for  over  an  hour  before  he  could 
locate  his  hiding-place.  He  was  soon  re- 
warded, however,  by  two  male  birds  appear- 
ing, and,  while  they  indulged  in  a  scrap  a  la 
Jack  Johnson,  he  turned  the  crank  of  the 
camera.  Imagine,  if  you  can,  his  disap- 
pointment when,  upon  developing  the  nega- 
tive, he  found  that  a  blade  of  grass  had 
obstructed  the  view  of  the  lens. 

I  happen  to  know  of  one  cinematogra- 
pher  who  attempted  to  film  the  kingfisher. 
He  went  about  it  by  studying  the  haunts  of 
the  kingfisher  for  himself,  after  which  he 
took  up  quarters  in  a  stream  at  a  place 
where  it  was  four  feet  deep.  Over  his  head 
and  shoulders  he  placed  a  large  mask 
formed  of  tree  branches,  and  when  a  king- 
fisher ventured  within  view  he  moved 
cautiously  so  as  to  deceive  the  bird  into 

308 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

thinking  that  the  boughs  were  being  floated 
along  by  the  current. 

And  where  was  his  camera?  That,  let 
me  tell  you,  was  under  his  sheltering  con- 
trivance, fixed  to  an  anchored  floating  base. 
His  first  filming  effort  was  a  failure,  for  the 
camera's  clicking  noise  frightened  the  bird 
away.  - 

But  one  futile  attempt  did  not  daunt 
this  enterprising  young  man,  for  he  next 
procured  another  camera  and  attached  it  to 
the  same  floating  base.  Day  after  day  he 
waited  for  the  regular  appearance  of  his 
victim,  and  turned  the  handle  of  the  second 
camera,  which  was  minus  any  film.  This 
went  on  for  seven  weeks,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  the  kingfisher  paid  no  attention 
to  the  working  of  the  motion-picture  ma- 
chine. All  he  had  to  show  for  his  untiring 
efforts  was  a  strip  of  film,  two  hundred  feet 
in  length. 

Some  birds  are  cliff-dwellers,  and  this 
introduces  an  element  of  danger.  The  cine- 
matographer  usually  works  with  a  tripod- 
less  camera,  and  has  himself  lowered  down 
a  tall  cliff  on  a  rope.  The  extra-powerful 
lens  comes  in  handy  to  approach  the  birds 
at  a  distance,  unawares. 

309 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Equally  tedious  to  film  are  those  birds 
that  favor  the  ground  for  building  their 
nests,  for,  apart  from  requiring  considerable 
skill  to  focus  the  apparatus  in  the  right 
angle,  it  is  hard  to  "snap"  the  feathered 
creatures  off  their  guard. 

Prof.  Raymond  L.  Ditmars,  Curator  of 
Reptiles  at  the  New  York  Zoological  Park, 
produces  natural  history  pictures  as  a  hobby, 
and  in  putting  on  a  recent  subject,  "The 
Moonlight  Habits  of  the  Lance-head 
Snake,"  he  had  a  very  narrow  escape. 
Mercury-vapor  lamps  gave  the  desired 
lighting  effect,  and  paper  was  rustled  to 
make  the  reptile  think  there  was  an  animal 
close  at  hand.  Ditmars,  who,  in  addition 
to  working  the  paper  stunt,  began  turning 
the  crank,  was  congratulating  himself  on 
the  excellent  picture  it  was  going  to  prove, 
for  the  snake  first  moved  his  head  and 
wriggled  his  body  to  make  the  letter  S 
several  times.  He  then  leaped  right  in 
front  of  the  camera,  but,  fortunately,  Mr. 
Ditmars  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  step 
aside,  the  reptile  landing  within  a  foot  of 
him. 

The  operator,  when  handling  a  cobra 
for  the  movies,  usually  keeps  a  safe  distance 
310 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

away  and  employs  a  motor-engine  to  work 
his  camera.  The  wiseness  of  these  pre- 
cautions can  not  be  disputed,  for  the  camera 
is  oftentimes  disfigured  with  deadly  venom. 
I  therefore  consider  Mr.  Ditmars  rather 
reckless  when  he  decided  to  obtain  a  picture 
of  the  deadly  ringed  cobra. 

He  and  his  wife,  who  assisted  him, 
deemed  it  advisable  to  wear  auto-goggles  as 
a  protection  against  the  sprayed  poison. 
The  electric  motor,  attached  to  the  camera, 
turned  the  crank,  the  snake  being  but  four 
feet  away.  A  long  pole  was  employed  to 
coax  the  cobra  up  close  to  the  machine,  but 
Mrs.  Ditmars  wanted  the  snake  to  display 
his  spiteful  nature,  so  she  waved  a  handker- 
chief in  his  direction.  Before  you  could  say 
"Jack  Robinson"  its  temper  was  up  and  the 
snake  made  one  big  leap  for  the  lens  of  the 
camera.  Finding  its  progress  hindered,  it 
calmed  down  for  a  moment,  stepped  back, 
and  advanced  toward  Mrs.  Ditmars,  wha 
thought  her  last  moment  had  come.  Luckily, 
however,  she  stepped  on  the  housing  of  an 
electrical  coil,  the  cobra  gliding  by  under 
her  feet. 

But  the  filming  of  wild  beasts  in  their 
native  haunts  is  attended  by  all  sorts  of 
311 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

dangers.  Usually  an  artificial  animal  or 
tree-trunk  is  employed  for  the  purposes  of 
concealment.  Such  a  structure  is  hollow 
inside  and  usually  made  of  cork,  with  the 
painting  of  the  animal  or  tree-trunk  outside. 
The  operator  enters  the  structure  from  the 
rear,  and,  to  provide  for  the  long  hours  of 
waiting,  the  concealing  structure  has  a 
special  compartment  containing  refreshments 
and  a  stove.  All  the  time  he  watches 
through  the  peep-holes,  and  as  soon  as  his 
quarry  comes  within  range,  he  sets  to  work. 
But  for  days  previous  to  this  the  electric 
motor  has  been  deputizing  for  the  clock- 
work mechanism  of  the  camera,  in  order  to 
get  the  animals  accustomed  to  the  sound. 

Wild  animals  possess  such  a  keen  sense 
of  smell  that  they  can  detect  a  human  being 
a  long  distance  off,  and,  to  disguise  his 
presence,  the  operator  covers  himself  with 
some  vile-smelling  liquid. 


312 


LXIV 

TAKING  MOTION  PICTURES  FROM  AN 
AEROPLANE 

T  TOW  rare  it  is  to  come  across  a  motion 
*  *  picture  taken  from  an  aeroplane! 
Those,  however,  showing  a  flying-machine 
in  full  flight  are  as  plentiful  as  strawberries 
in  June.  There  surely  must  be  some  reason 
for  this  apparent  lack  of  enterprise.  It  is 
because  such  films  are  very  difficult  to 
produce. 

Naturally,  you  could  not  operate  a  tri- 
pod motion-picture  camera  from  an  aero- 
plane, while  traveling.  The  apparatus  is 
far  too  clumsy.  What  is  required,  in  my 
opinion,  is  a  special  hand  camera,  for  it 
must  be  remembered  that  you  are  at  logger- 
heads with  the  principles  of  cinematography. 

The  chief  difficulty  encountered  when 
working  in  the  air  is  that  the  aeroplane  flies 
at  too  high  an  altitude  for  the  earth  below 
to  be  sufficiently  distinguishable.  You  may 
use  the  longest  focus  lens  possible,  but  it  is 

313 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

hard  to  regulate  the  speed.  An  aeroplane 
travels  so  swiftly  that  the  resulting  pictures 
are  apt  to  be  blurred,  hence  the  many 
failures. 

What  is  necessary  is  a  shutter  which  will 
take  pictures  at  many  times  the  regulation 
sixteen-a-second  speed. 

Personally  speaking,  I  am  a  booster  for 
air  cinematography  because  it  is  a  phase  of 
motion-picture  work  which  has  been  little 
exploited.  It  permits  of  some  wonderful 
panoramic  effects,  especially  over  towns. 

The  possibilities  in  this  direction  are 
unlimited,  and  I  am  confident  that  any 
experiments  would  be  worth  while. 

It  will  be  reassuring  for  you  to  know 
that  there  have  been  some  successful  aero- 
plane ventures  with  a  motion-picture  camera, 
and  it  is  with  the  intention  of  helping 
you  in  your  work  that  I  shall  proceed 
to  relate  the  experiences  of  the  principal 
exponents. 

Several  years  ago  John  C.  Hemmett,  of 
African-hunt  fame,  put  over  a  filming  stunt 
from  a  hydro-aeroplane.  He  made  a  test 
over  Marblehead  Bay,  Massachusetts,  and 
attached  a  contrivance  of  his  own  invention 
to  the  propelling  motor  of  the  flying- 
314 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

machine,  this  automatically  turning  the 
crank. 

At  first  it  seemed  as  though  Mr.  Hem- 
mett  and  his  camera  were  a  too  heavy 
burden  for  the  aeroplane  to  carry,  for  they 
turned  the  scale  at  265  pounds,  while  the 
machine  weighed  approximately  100  pounds, 
apart  from  the  airman. 

Mr.  Hemmett  set  the  crank  in  operation 
when  they  rose  to  a  height  of  150  feet.  The 
first  subject  that  came  to  his  "net"  was  a 
bunch  of  wild  ducks  flying  up  from  the 
water  in  a  hysterical  state.  The  aviator 
kept  these  in  view  while  Mr.  Hemmett 
exposed  some  "meaty"  film. 

The  flight  occupied  eight  minutes,  during 
which  time  the  cinematographer  attained  a 
height  of  three  hundred  feet  and  took  sev- 
eral hundred  feet  of  negative.  His  other 
subjects  included  excellent  coast-line  views, 
rigged  schooners  at  anchor  and  half-sub- 
merged reefs.  The  speed  at  which  these 
were  taken  was  sixty  miles  per  hour. 

The  most  notable  motion-picture  feat  of 
1914  in  Europe  was  the  filming  from  an 
aeroplane  of  the  arrival  of  the  King  and 
Queen  of  England  in  Calais  Harbor. 

Mr.    R.   A.    Ferguson,    the   clever,    ani- 

315 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

mated  newspaper  man,  attributed  his  success 
to  the  "Aeroscope"  camera,  which  has  sim- 
plified outdoor  cinematography.  His  flight 
consumed  an  hour  altogether.  He  soared 
to  a  great  height  during  the  first  part  of  the 
trip,  but  eventually  swooped  down  to  within 
two  hundred  feet  of  the  yacht.  The  hardest 
task  of  all  was  keeping  the  yacht  in  focus, 
for  the  aeroplane  circled  unsteadily. 

Recently  Giovanni  Fabbri,  attached  to 
the  Aviation  Corps  of  the  Italian  army, 
invented  an  automatic  tripodless  camera. 
This  enables  panoramic  views  to  be  obtained 
when  an  aeroplane  is  in  mid-air.  In  the 
camera  are  two  bobbins,  over  which  the  roll 
of  film  winds  and  unwinds.  One  side  of  the 
film  is  perforated  at  places  equally  apart. 
The  tooth  in  the  camera,  on  coming  in  con- 
tact with  a  perforation,  automatically  brings 
the  film  to  a  standstill.  This  frees  the  shut- 
ter and  results  in  an  exposure.  A  tiny 
propeller,  set  in  motion  by  the  air,  serves 
to  unroll  the  film.  The  camera  can  be 
manipulated  as  high  as  four  thousand  feet. 

The  free-lance  who  can  successfully  sur- 
mount the   problems   which   have   arisen   in 
connection    with    air    cinematography    will 
reap  the  rewards  of  his  labors. 
316 


LXV 

FILM  STOCK  TROUBLES  IN  THE  TROPICS 


you  switch  your  operations  from 
the  temperate  zone  to  the  tropical,  you 
will  find  yourself  confronted  with  new  prob- 
lems, which  result  through  the  unhealthy 
climate,  uncertain  light  values  and  the  in- 
tense heat. 

I  know  of  a  cinematographer  who  made 
a  trip  to  the  Canal  Zone  during  the  rainy 
season.  When  he  removed  the  film  stock 
from  the  cans,  it  was  soft,  and,  within  an 
hour  of  placing  it  in  the  box  of  the  camera, 
it  was  as  wet  as  wet  could  be,  while  the 
following  morning  it  was  completely  cov- 
ered with  mildew. 

How  may  this  be  avoided?  One  cine- 
matographer, working  in  the  heart  of 
Africa,  deemed  it  advisable  to  carry  the 
film  stock  in  a  cooling-case,  built  along  the 
lines  of  the  vacuum  flask,  and  prevented  the 
exterior  from  becoming  hot  by  covering 
same  with  cool  banana  leaves.  Unfortu- 

317 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

nately,  however,  this  camera  man  would  not 
reveal  the  details  of  his  invention,  so  we 
must  confine  ourselves  to  the  generally 
followed  plan. 

Before  setting  out  on  your  journey,  store 
the  film  in  air-tight  cans  and  place  adhesive 
plaster  all  round  the  edges  of  the  lids. 

If  you  take  my  advice,  you  will  not 
burden  yourself  with  more  film  than  you 
actually  need,  as  it  deteriorates  rapidly.  If 
you  can  arrange  to  have  small  consignments 
dispatched  as  required,  so  much  the  better. 

Once  you  have  arrived  at  your  destina- 
tion, select  a  dry  and  cool  place  for  the  film- 
boxes,  which  are  kept  in  a  better  condition 
if  placed  in  an  ash-can  or  some  other  air- 
tight receptacle,  not  overlooking  to  include 
a  dish  of  fused  calcium  chloride. 

Reload  the  camera  only  just  before  you 
plan  to  "shoot." 

You  may  experience  considerable  diffi- 
culty in  turning  the  crank,  for  the  heat  is 
apt  to  heat  the  brass  and  make  it  too  hot  to 
be  operated  with  the  bare  hands.  A  pair 
of  gloves  will  therefore  come  in  handy. 

The  developing  is  best  done  on  the  spot 
with  as  little  delay  as  possible. 

A  camera  man  of  my  acquaintance  told 

318 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

me  of  his  experiences  while  working  in  the 
Sudan.  He  discovered  that  sunrise  was  the 
ideal  time  for  developing,  since  the  air  is 
not  too  warm,  and  the  water,  which  has 
been  standing  in  canvas  buckets  since  the 
heat  of  the  previous  day,  is  nice  and  cool. 

This  operator  utilized  an  oblong-built 
straw  hut,  17  x  n  feet,  for  his  dark  room. 
The  inner  covering,  to  keep  out  the  light, 
was  a  red  and  black  Turkey  cloth,  slightly 
smaller  in  size.  No  ventilation  was  pro- 
vided, although  there  were  openings  both  at 
the  top  and  the  end.  These  were  to  accom- 
modate the  wooden  frames,  over  which  were 
placed  ruby  glass,  ground  glass  and  thin 
wire  netting. 

He  made  his  own  developing-frame  out 
of  native  timber,  shaped  like  a  3  feet  6 
inches  drum,  and  painted  it  with  a  paraffin 
wax. 

My  friend  also  needed  two  troughs,  one 
for  the  developer  and  the  other  for  hypo, 
and  made  these  of  wood,  joining  the  sec- 
tions together  with  pitch.  He  allowed  for 
a  space  of  an  inch  to  occur  between  the 
film  and  the  trough  interior  when  at  work. 
Each  trough  had  two  wings,  so  that  the 
developer  and  hypo  would  be  caught  on 
21  319 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

falling  from  the  film,  thence  conveyed  back 
into  the  trough's  well. 

To  hold  the  axle  carrying  the  drum,  he 
equipped  both  of  the  troughs  with  slotted 
side  arms. 

The  developing  materials  used  were  B. 
&  W.  "Tabloid"  pyro-soda  and  a  little  bro- 
mide of  potassium.  He  used  eight  cartons- 
to  develop  two  hundred  feet  of  film,  and 
placed  the  solution  in  a  bucket  half  filled 
with  water. 


320 


LXVI 

DEVELOPING  THE  NEGATIVE 

OOME  cinematographers,  like  the  amateur 
^  photographer  who  has  his  films  devel- 
oped at  the  corner  drugstore,  may  prefer  to 
entrust  the  developing  of  their  negatives  to 
hands  more  skilled  than  theirs.  Others, 
however,  will  prefer  to  master  the  difficult 
art  of  developing.  It  is  to  advise  the  latter 
that  this  article  has  been  written. 

The  first  essential  is  a  suitable  dark 
room.  This  must  be  well  ventilated  and 
kept  spotlessly  clean.  There  should  also 
be  plenty  of  room  to  move  about  in,  while 
the  temperature  is  another  important  point, 
best  results  being  obtained  when  the  heat  is 
between  65  and  75  Fahr. 

The  illumination  may  be  candle,  gas  or 
electricity,  and  you  have  equal  choice  be- 
tween a  red,  green  or  yellow  light.  Some 
workers  are  naturally  careless;  not  neces- 
sarily because  they  are  inefficient,  but  be- 
cause familiarity  breeds  contempt.  Blacken 

321 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  walls  as  a  precaution  against  leaving 
doors  ajar  and  other  sources  through  which 
daylight  may  filter. 

The  selection  of  suitable  apparatus  is 
the  next  important  detail.  This  should 
consist  of  the  following  articles:  one  devel- 
oping-rack,  three  developing  trays  or  tanks, 
one  drying-drum. 

The  developing-rack  is  used  to  wind  the 
exposed  negative  and  is  not  hard  to  con- 
struct. To  hold  about  one  hundred  feet  of 
film  you  will  need  a  frame  thirty-three 
inches  square.  This  should  be  of  teak  and 
the  sides  of  thicker  wood  than  the  ends. 
Round  the  ends  of  the  end  bars. 

You  do  not  want  the  strips  of  film  to 
become  tangled,  so  separate  each  by  driving 
headless  brass  nails  at  distances  of  one  and 
one-half  inches  apart,  and  projecting  about 
one-fourth  inch  on  both  of  the  side  bars. 

Wind  the  film  by  attaching  the  end  with 
a  drawing-pin  to  the  top  bar.  Manipulate 
it  away  from  you,  taking  care  to  keep  each 
strip  of  film  in  its  proper  section.  As  wet 
film  expands,  wind  it  tightly. 

You  will  need  a  support  for  the  rack, 
and  the  best  is  a  strong  wooden  frame. 

I    now    come    to    the    developing-trays, 

322 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

preferably  flat  and  of  stoneware.  They 
should  have  a  depth  of  at  least  two  inches, 
and  if  it  is  about  fifteen  inches  square,  it 
will  hold  the  developing-frame,  with  one 
hundred  feet  of  film,  nicely. 

Should  you  decide  to  make  a  wooden 
frame,  it  must  be  both  water  and  chemical 
proof.  Some  cinematographers  use  oil- 
cloth, but  I  do  not  think  you  can  excel 
sheet  zinc  or  lead  for  lining  the  trays. 

Use  one  of  the  trays  each  for  develop- 
ing, washing  and  fixing  the  negative. 

The  next  essential  is  a  drying-drum, 
Bearing  that  one  hundred  feet  of  film  in 
mind,  this  should  be  one  foot  three  inches 
in  diameter.  Procure  two  wooden  discs; 
nail  a  bunch  of  thin  wooden  strips,  say,  one 
and  one-half  inches  apart.  In  the  center  of 
each  disc  bore  a  hole  so  as  to  accommodate 
the  axle.  Make  two  wooden  supports,  one 
at  each  end,  on  which  the  axle  rests. 

While  there  are  several  brands  of  film 
stock  on  the  market,  the  most  widely  used 
kind  is  Eastman.  Each  manufacturer  has 
his  own  formula,  so  I  can  not  do  better  than 
confine  myself  to  the  one  recommended  by 
the  Eastman  Company.  Here  it  is: 

Water  (8  1-3  imperial  gallons),  10  U. 
323 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

S.  gals.;  metol,  180  grains;  sodium  sulphite 
(des),  31  Ibs.  5  ozs. ;  hydrochinon,  8  oz.; 
sodium  carbonate  (des.)  i  Ib.  9  oz. ;  potas- 
sium bromide,  i  oz.  63  grs. ;  citric  acid,  400 
grs. ;  potassium  metabisulphite,  2  oz. 

Make  this  solution  up  just  prior  to 
developing.  It  will  generally  keep  for  two 
weeks,  during  which  time  you  may  use  it 
for  other  negatives. 

Let  us  now  pretend  we  have  produced  a 
one-hundred-feet  subject,  and,  as  we  know 
that  negatives  do  not  improve  in  their  unex- 
posed  state,  we  immediately  proceed  to 
develop. 

The  first  thing  we  do  is  to  weigh  and 
mix  the  chemicals,  which  is  no  easy  job  if 
you  have  not  had  previous  experience.  Do 
not  guess  the  weighing,  for  the  slightest 
deviation  in  the  standard  formula  will  upset 
the  whole  bag  of  tricks.  See  that  your  pair 
of  scales  is  true — free  from  dust  and  other 
harmful  ingredients. 

There  is  a  knack  in  mixing  the  chemicals. 
First  mix  all  the  chemicals,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  sodium  carbonate  and  potassium 
bromide,  in  a  vessel  filled  with  warm  water, 
which  is  improved  with  the  addition  of  a 
drachm  of  preservative.  Next  dissolve  the 
324 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

two  remaining  chemicals  in  another  vessel, 
the  contents  of  which  pour  into  the  develop- 
ing-tray  and  fill  up  with  water. 

After  this  empty  the  first  vessel  into  the 
developing-tray  and  mix  well.  Enameled 
buckets  are  ideal  vessels  for  the  purpose. 
If  you  follow  this  procedure,  you  will  save 
much  time  and  trouble.  However,  if  you 
are  a  beginner  and  would  prefer  not  to 
experiment  until  you  get  your  bearings,  pur- 
chase developing  powders  from  your  nearest 
photographic  dealer.  The  correct  propor- 
tion for  the  developing-tray  we  have  in  mind 
is  five  powders,  which  will  cost  you  about 
twenty  cents. 

Wind  the  film  on  the  developing-frame 
and  place  same  carefully  in  the  developing- 
tray.  Remove  any  bubbles  that  appear,  with 
a  soft  camel's-hair  brush.  Keep  the  tem- 
perature of  the  developing  solution  between 
65  and  70  degrees,  and  move  the  frame 
about  every  two  minutes  so  that  the  solution 
produces  even  development.  If  you  have 
developed  a  photographic  plate,  you  will 
readily  detect  when  it  is  sufficiently  devel- 
oped. 

This  over,  place  the  frame  in  the  rins- 
ing-tray, which  should  contain  plain  water. 

325 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

It  is  now  ready  for  the  fixing  bath.  Here, 
again,  are  pitfalls  for  the  careless.  Dissolve 
in  each  pint  of  warm  water  not  less  than 
four  and  not  more  than  eight  ounces  of 
clean  hypocrystals.  Before  doing  this  place 
the  hypo  in  a  sheet  of  linen  and  tie  up  in  a 
bag,  which  place  below  the  surface  of  the 
fixing-tray.  In  this  way  the  heavy  liquid 
falls  to  the  bottom  of  its  own  accord,  while 
grit  and  splinters  remain  in  the  bag  and  you 
avoid  spoiling  the  emulsion  of  the  undevel- 
oped negative.  Now  place  the  frame  and 
allow  it  to  remain  until  the  film  is  trans- 
parent. 

Next  attach  a  rubber  tube  to  the  faucet 
and  wash  the  film  for  about  an  hour. 

The  only  thing  necessary  now  is  to  dry 
the  film.  Most  studios  have  special  drying- 
rooms  in  which  the  films  are  wound  on  huge 
drums  and  dried  by  electrically  heated  air. 
A  one-horse-power  motor  serves  to  drive 
the  drums. 

I  know  of  one  studio  which  has  cut  down 
the  time  necessary  to  one-quarter  by  oper- 
ating a  3,ooo-watt  air  heater  behind  each 
drum.  In  the  ordinary  way  it  takes  from 
seven  to  ten  hours  to  dry  a  reel. 

But  your  methods  will  necessarily  not  be 

326 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

so  far  advanced.  To  transfer  the  negative, 
attach  the  end  of  the  film  on  the  drum,  turn- 
ing same  slowly  while  unwinding  the  film 
from  the  developing-frame.  An  electric  fan 
will  quicken  the  drying,  but  a  warm  room 
is  the  next  best. 


327 


LXVH 

HOW  TO  TAKE  FILM  TITLES 

OOME  films  require  little  assistance  from 
*~*  the  "doctor,"  but  every  picture  needs 
at  least  one  title.  There  are,  of  course, 
different  kinds  of  explanatory  matter. 

The  main  title  is  self-explanatory,  but 
the  most  widely  employed  device  is  the  sub- 
title. It  is  so  called  because  it  acts  as  a 
guide  over  stumbling-blocks;  that  is,  when 
something  can  not  be  explained  in  pictures. 
It  is  used  in  all  types  of  films. 

But  the  screen  message  is  practically 
confined  to  the  regular  photoplay,  where  it 
may  be  in  the  form  of  a  letter,  newspaper 
clipping  or  telegram. 

The  methods  in  vogue  at  the  various 
studios  differ,  but  in  all  cases  the  titling 
details  are  attended  to  after  the  play  has 
been  completed. 

Undoubtedly  the  most  simple  and  inex- 
pensive way  is  to  cut  out  the  letters  care- 
fully on  white  cardboard.  If,  however,  you 
328 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

do  not  wish  to  go  to  this  trouble,  engage  a 
sign-painter  to  draw  them  on  a  sheet  of 
white  cardboard. 

If  you  adopt  the  former  method,  place 
the  letters  on  a  flat  surface  against  a  black 
background,  allowing  an  equal  space  between 
each  word.  To  photograph  same  correctly, 
place  the  camera  box  on  a  stand  directly 
above  and  arrange  the  lens  so  that  it  faces 
downward  towards  the  middle  of  the  title. 

Use  positive  stock  in  the  camera,  and  be 
sure  to  turn  the  emulsion  side  away  from 
the  lens,  as,  if  this  is  not  done,  your  title 
will  be  filmed  backwards. 

Why  I  advise  the  use  of  positive  stock 
is  because  you  obtain  greater  contrasty 
results,  but  you  can  not  be  too  certain  of  the 
correct  exposure,  which  you  should  test  with 
a  film  meter. 

In  developing,  take  good  care  that  the 
letter  is  transparent  and  on  an  opaque 
ground.  The  following  formula  has  been 
tested  and  proven: 

Glycin,  i  ^  Ibs. ;  sodium  sulphite,  3  l/± 
Ibs. ;  potassium  carbonate,  6  Ibs. ;  water,  to 
60  pints. 

After  you  have  developed  the  negative, 
print  a  positive  from  the  same  and  use  it  as 

329 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  title  negative.  Attach  this  to  the  com- 
plete negative  in  the  correct  place  and  join 
with  acetone  cement. 

Allow  one  foot  of  film  for  each  word, 
so  that  it  is  easy  to  calculate  the  footage 
necessary  for  a  title. 

Although  a  well-lighted  room  is  suitable 
for  taking  titles,  you  will  obtain  more  satis- 
factory results  if  you  can  supply  artificial 
light,  one  lamp  at  each  side  of  the  camera. 


330 


LXVIII 

PRINTING  POSITIVE  COPIES 

PO  one  not  conversant  with  cinematog- 
•*•  raphy,  the  next  stage  after  developing 
the  negative  would  appear  to  be  printing 
the  positive,  but  there  is  another  process  in 
between — editing.  This  work  consists  of 
inserting  such  titles  as  are  necessary  to 
make  the  film  clear,  and  using  the  pruning- 
knife  freely  in  spots  where  the  film  lacks 
interest.  If  you  do  this,  you  will  only 
waste  negative  stock,  but  if  you  leave  this 
important  detail  until  after  the  positives  are 
printed,  you  will  have  waste  of  raw  stock 
on  every  print  to  account  for. 

The  printing-machines  used  by  the  reg- 
ular producers  are  too  costly  for  the  average 
amateur,  who  may  make  a  passable  printer 
out  of  his  camera. 

The  lighting  is  an  important  factor,  and 
electricity  is  undoubtedly  far  superior  to 
anything  else.  Failing  this,  however,  either 
gas  or  acetylene  may  be  substituted. 

331 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

You  have  to  fix  up  the  camera,  and  you 
start  by  taking  away  the  lens.  Open  the 
shutter  wide  and  equip  the  top  with  an  arm, 
to  which  attach  a  spindle,  to  hold  the  nega- 
tive film-spool.  Now  place  the  camera  on 
a  table  or  bench  against  a  wooden  partition, 
cutting  a  little  opening  so  that  the  electric 
bulb  or  gas-burner,  which  you  install  near 
same,  reflects  a  light. 

Blacken  a  cardboard  tube;  place  one 
end  in  the  camera  opening  and  the  other 
in  the  partition  entrance.  This  will  carry 
the  light  into  the  camera. 

Fill  the  upper  film-box  with  the  unex- 
posed  positive  stock  and  insert  same  into 
the  camera.  Thread  the  negative  via  the 
upper  slot,  after  which  thread  the  positive 
below  the  guide  roller,  then  below  the  upper 
sprockets  to  the  gate,  where  it  meets  the 
negative,  finally  leaving  the  lower  slot.  It 
is  highly  important  that  both  gelatine  sur- 
faces touch  each  other. 

Shut  the  camera  and  turn  the  handle,  the 
speed  of  which  depends  on  how  the  negative 
has  been  developed.  If  overexposed,  take 
your  time  over  it. 

Develop  the  positive  in  the  same  manner 
as  you  would  the  negative. 

332 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

In  order  to  bring  out  certain  effects, 
black  and  white  may  fall  flat,  so  you  resort 
to  tinting. 

If  you  have  some  fire  scenes,  the  follow- 
ing formula  will  answer  your  purpose: 

Distilled  water,  80  gallons;  film  red  R 
No.  i,  i  pound;  citric  acid,  13  ounces. 

Orange  helps  to  make  rooms  illuminated 
by  artificial  light  impressive,  the  formula 
for  which  I  give  below : 

Distilled  water,  80  gallons;  film  orange 
G  No.  6,  15  ounces;  citric  acid,  7^  ounces. 

Yellow,  on  the  other  hand,  is  excellent 
for  suggesting  midday  sunshine  in  exteriors. 
Here  goes: 

Distilled  water,  80  gallons;  film  yellow 
T  No.  5,  i  pound;  citric  acid,  7^  ounces. 

Night  scenes  look  perfectly  natural  when 
tinted  a  dark  blue.  This  is  the  formula : 

Distilled  water,  80  gallons;  film  blue  G 
No.  4,  10  ounces;  citric  acid,  10  ounces. 

You  will  now  require  one  bath  for  each, 
solution,  and  the  work  has  to  be  done  with 
great  care,  for  the  particular  scene  may  be 
in  the  middle  of  a  reel.  You  will,  of  course, 
already  have  it  wound  on  a  wooden  frame, 
so,  to  prevent  it  from  getting  tangled,  re- 
wind same  on  another  frame  until  you  reach. 

333 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  particular  place.  Dip  the  strip  in 
the  bath  and  leave  it  there  for  about 
five  minutes,  after  which  rinse  same  for 
about  a  minute  in  order  to  free  it  of 
excess  dye. 


334 


LXIX 

HOME  MOTION-PICTURE  ENTERTAIN- 

MENTS AS  A  SOURCE  OF  PLEA- 

SURE AND  PROFIT 


cost  more  to  put  on  than  ordinary 
photographs.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
are  sixteen  pictures  to  each  foot  of  film,  so 
when  you  produce  a  full-reel  subject  you 
have  no  fewer  than  sixteen  thousand  sepa- 
rate photographs. 

There  are  several  ways  and  means  of 
extracting  both  pleasure  and  profit  from  the 
hobby  or  business,  according  to  which  angle 
you  regard  it  from,  such  as  by  getting  the 
local  photoplay  theaters  to  remunerate  you 
for  the  privilege  of  exhibiting  your  efforts, 
if  the  negative  is  sufficiently  widespread  in 
appeal  and  interest. 

But  now  the  motion  picture  has  entered 
the  home,  and  an  excellent  opportunity  pre- 
sents itself  to  specialize  in  home  entertain- 
ments. I  will  now  proceed  to  lay  out  some 
methods  for  your  guidance. 

22  335 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

After  you  have  devoted  much  time  to 
motion-picture  photography,  you  will,  natu- 
rally, have  gotten  together  a  collection  of 
films.  These  will  probably  embrace  several 
classes  of  educationals,  local  topicals  and 
short  local  comedies  and  dramas. 

You  will,  first  of  all,  need  a  projection 
machine,  if  you  do  not  happen  to  already 
possess  one,  and  there  are  two  kinds  of 
these  on  the  market.  The  miniature  pro- 
jector has  a  shorter  throw,  but  points  in  its 
favor  are  that  it  is  easier  to  manipulate 
and  does  not  consume  so  much  current.  It 
also  costs  about  one  hundred  dollars,  while 
the  standard  machine  is  three  times  as 
expensive. 

It  is,  of  course,  a  matter  for  you  person- 
ally to  decide,  though  if  you  intend  confining 
yourself  to  exhibitions  in  ordinary  homes, 
the  miniature  machine  will  suit  just  as  well. 
In  the  case  of  large  halls,  and  so  forth,  how- 
ever, the  large  machine  stands  supreme. 

The  authorities  will  not  permit  you  to 
show  films  unless  you  project  same  under  a 
"safety  first"  roof.  In  the  catalogues  of 
the  theater  equipment  concerns  you  will  find 
a  film  booth  listed  at  fifty  dollars.  It  is 
four  feet  wide,  five  feet  long  and  seven  feet 
336 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

high.  This  metal  enclosure  is  just  the  very 
thing  for  your  purpose,  for  it  is  portable, 
and  only  twenty  minutes  is  occupied  in 
erecting  it  or  pulling  it  down  after  a  show. 

We  now  approach  the  problem  of  a 
satisfactory  screen.  The  size  of  this  will 
depend  upon  the  room  itself,  so  it  is  advis- 
able to  purchase  two  different  sizes.  One 
about  three  feet  long  by  three  feet  wide 
might  about  fit  in,  and  another  several  times 
the  size  for  where  big  rooms  are  available. 
The  material,  I  understand,  costs  anything 
from  ninety  cents  to  $3.75  per  square  yard. 

It  is  also  possible  to  hold  exhibitions  at 
garden  parties  and  the  like,  for  there  is  a 
screen  which  gives  as  good  results  by  day  as 
by  night. 

When  you  have  everything  in  readiness 
for  your  operations,  the  time  is  ripe  to  write 
all  your  friends  and  acquaintances,  soliciting 
their  support.  Motion-picture  home  enter- 
tainments are  quite  a  new  thing,  and  offer 
a  refreshing  change  from  the  usual  run  of 
social  functions. 

Your  own  film  library  will  fit  in  like  a 
glove,  and  you  will  not  feel  guilty  of  com- 
peting with  the  regular  photoplay  theaters 
in  your  neighborhood.  In  this  way  you  will 

23  337 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

be  able  to  retain  the  friendliness  of  the 
exhibitors  and  continue  to  supply  their  own 
special  needs. 

You  have,  of  course,  the  option  of  fixing 
your  own  territory,  but  I  would  recommend 
your  not  going  beyond  a  radius  of  several 
miles.  This  will  secure  for  your  films  a 
warmer  reception,  because  the  spectators 
will  evince  special  interest  in  knowing  that 
they  are  strictly  local  efforts. 

If  you  desire  further  clients,  an  adver- 
tisement in  the  local  newspaper,  setting  forth 
the  charms  of  a  private  motion-picture  enter- 
tainment for  social  gatherings,  at  clubs, 
societies  and  lodges,  will  no  doubt  produce 
the  desired  results. 

The  usual  fee  charged  is  ten  dollars  for 
an  hour's  entertainment,  comprising  about 
^hree  reels,  and  five  dollars  for  each  addi- 
tional hour.  It  is  advisable  to  vary  the 
films  as  much  as  possible,  for  it  is  variety 
on  which  the  film  industry  has  been  built  up. 
You  can,  for  example,  have  a  one-reel  educa- 
tional and  a  drama  and  comedy,  each  of  the 
same  length. 

There   are  brilliant  possibilities   in  this 
field  for  the  cinematographer  who  is  enter- 
prising enough  to  grasp  them. 
338 


LXX 

THE  VALUE  OF  PUBLICITY 

T  CAN  not  place  too  much  emphasis  upon 
*  the  value  of  publicity  in  connection  with 
your  motion-picture-producing  activities.  All 
the  photoplay  manufacturers  employ  men  to 
dispense  information  in  regard  to  their  plays 
and  players. 

The  fans  are  so  mighty  inquisitive  that 
their  interest  really  only  begins  with  the 
seeing  of  a  photoplay.  They  want  to  know 
how  it  was  produced,  and  so  on.  A  dozen 
publications  thrive  on  catering  to  their 
whims,  and  the  exhibitor,  too,  wants  all  the 
available  information,  as  it  assists  him 
greatly  in  advertising  a  film  which  he  has 
booked. 

This  reminds  me  of  the  case  of  a  free- 
lance cinematographer  who  has  attained  no 
little  success  in  marketing  educationals.  In- 
stead of  disposing  of  the  negative,  he  merely 
sells  the  number  of  prints  required. 

The  manufacturer  finds  still  photographs 
339 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

of  great  help  in  advertising  a  production, 
but  this  particular  free-lance  does  not  take 
any  at  the  time  of  producing,  nor  does  he 
permit  any  to  be  reproduced  from  the  nega- 
tive. The  positive  gives  such  indistinct  stills 
that  they  are  not  worth  the  trouble  taken. 

Several  times  the  publicity  director  has 
endeavored  to  obtain  a  story  of  his  methods, 
and  has  at  last  succeeded.  The  cinematog- 
rapher  is  perfectly  right  in  keeping  some  of 
the  secrets  to  himself,  but  there  is  much, 
scope  for  legitimate  material. 

Publicity  in  the  way  of  photographs  and 
write-ups  causes  the  public  and  exhibitors  to 
be  interested  in  your  work,  resulting  in  an 
increased  demand  for  same.  It  therefore 
does  not  pay  to  neglect  this  phase  of  your 
activities. 


340 


LXXI 

IMPROVING  FILM  PRESENTATION  BY 
COLOR  LIGHTING 

IN  color-lighting  effects  the  speaking  stage 
*  easily  excels.  The  theatrical  boards  revel 
in  a  wealth  of  colors,  which  is  not  the  least 
agreeable  feature  to  audiences.  How  enjoy- 
able it  is  to  see  the  rapid  changing  of  colors 
to  tally  with  the  atmosphere  of  the  scene. 

But  on  the  photoplay  screen  there  is 
none  of  this  lifelike  coloring,  and,  instead,  a 
deadly,  monotonous  black  and  white  meets 
our  gaze  throughout  the  entire  performance. 
True  enough,  we  do  witness  attempts  such 
as  red  to  suggest  fire,  and  a  dark  blue  to 
pass  muster  for  night,  but  these  are  so  crude 
and  ineffective  that  the  films  thus  treated 
would  be  all  the  better  if  left  in  their  glory 
of  black  and  white.  The  portions  are  faked 
by  toning  them  with  liquid  chemicals.  Ac- 
cording to  F.  M.  Wiltermood,  a  motion- 
picture  expert,  this  is  greatly  harmful  to  the 
high  lights  in  the  scenes,  destroys  much  of 
341 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

the  beauty  of  the  faces  of  the  women  play- 
ers, shrinks  the  sensitive  films,  produces 
static  (the  bane  of  all  cinematographers), 
and  otherwise  damages  the  delicate  images 
in  the  film. 

Every  now  and  then  we  come  across 
examples  of  color  cinematography,  but  the 
efforts  are  so  amateurish  and  impracticable 
that  it  is  better  to  see  a  dozen  black  and 
white  pictures  than  one  of  the  colored 
variety.  These  are  usually  produced  in  the 
ordinary  way  and  colored  by  a  stencil 
method.  As  the  films  are  magnified  thou- 
sands of  times,  it  is  not  unusual  to  discover 
the  colors  running  into  each  other.  Besides, 
if  colored  motion  pictures  are  perfected,  the 
falack  and  white  subjects  will  continue  their 
vogue,  for  they  are  the  most  natural,  despite 
their  lack  of  color,  which  can  be  added 
afterward  by  the  exhibitor,  not  the  producer. 

In  other  directions  some  exhibitors  are 
striving  to  present  their  pictures  realistically 
by  employing  mechanical  effects  to  accen- 
tuate things  like  a  character  knocking  at  a 
door  or  the  throb  of  the  auto  engine.  I  also 
happen  to  personally  know  of  a  motion-pic- 
ture showman  who,  when  presenting  a  film 
of  Turkish  life,  made  the  audience  appre- 
342 


date  the  picture  tenfold  by  the  simple  dodge 
of  spraying  the  hall  with  an  Oriental  per- 
fume. Why  not,  then,  give  attention  to  the 
most  neglected  detail  of  all — color  lighting? 

Mr.  Wiltermood  some  time  ago  held 
tests  at  a  Los  Angeles  theater  to  demon- 
strate the  possibilities  of  his  invention.  His 
arc-light,  with  a  forty-five-amperage  power, 
was  fixed  to  the  projecting  machine.  It  was 
got  over  convincingly  that  many  hues  could 
be  produced  at  the  same  time,  thus  allowing 
a  scene  to  be  appropriately  tinted.  Sunset 
on  the  sea  was  a  perfect  gem,  for  the  red 
hues  among  the  clouds  cast  a  crimson  glow 
over  the  waters,  while  the  spot-light  was 
shifted  about  in  order  to  show  the  shifting 
clouds  moving  past  the  sun.  Then  the  time 
was  gradually  changed  to  night,  and  pale 
blue  made  a  lovely  moonlight  effect.  This 
device  should  enable  many  subtitles  such  as 
"That  night" — to  indicate  lapse  of  time — 
to  be  dispensed  with. 

The  experiment  also  proved  that,  by 
switching  a  pink  color  on  the  players,  it  gave 
them  an  air  of  naturalness.  Their  ghostly 
white  faces,  make-up  lines  and  shadows  were 
abolished.  Interiors  of  offices  were  im- 
proved by  pale  amber  to  suggest  the  glow 

343 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

from  electric  light.  Woodland  scenes  were 
also  revealed  in  their  natural  beauty. 

It  also  appeared  that  many  unique  effects 
were  possible.  These  the  director  will  hail 
with  delight,  for  he  can  tackle  things  that 
were  beyond  his  power.  For  example,  fog 
on  the  sea  was  produced  by  placing  a  bluish, 
clouded  glass  in  front  of  the  projector,  show- 
ing the  ships  moving  about  in  a  mist. 

It  is  only  since  the  advent  of  the  trans- 
portable lamp  that  the  director  has  been 
able  to  take  outdoor  scenes  on  a  dark  night, 
and  do  his  interiors  in  places  such  as  sub- 
ways, stores  and  office  buildings  where  there 
is  not  sufficient  daylight  to  photograph  them. 
These  accomplishments,  aided  by  color  light- 
ing, should  give  a  perfect  illusion. 

The  progressive  motion-picture  exhibitor 
will  not  be  content  with  a  white  picture 
piercing  the  dark  hall,  so,  once  the  device 
is  placed  on  the  market  at  a  moderate 
figure,  he  will  introduce  same  in  his  theater. 

The  light  under  notice  does  not  reveal 
how  the  effects  are  obtained,  for  the  colors 
find  their  way  to  the  screen  by  means  of  the 
streak  of  light  thrown  out  by  the  projector. 

"I  got  more  knowledge  out  of  these  tests 
than  I  had  before,"  said  Mr.  Wiltermood, 

344 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

"and  I  am  sure  that  eventually  my  method 
will  revolutionize  the  projection  of  films. 
So  far  as  I  know,  I  am  the  only  cinema 
expert  who  has  ever  experimented  scien- 
tifically with  big  arc-lights  in  the  throwing 
of  color  hues  on  moving  pictures.  I  made 
the  auditorium  look  like  a  vast  rainbow  of 
color,  and  some  of  the  movie  scenes  ap- 
peared to  have  a  fairyland  aspect." 


345 


LXXII 

ARE  WE  TO  HAVE  STEREOSCOPIC 
MOTION  PICTURES? 

TT  is  easy  to  find  fault  with  a  thing,  but  to 
•*•  set  it  right  is  quite  another  matter.  Every 
new  industry  has  to  survive  an  evolution 
period.  Although  the  motion  picture  has 
progressed  more  quickly  than  the  average 
new  creation  of  man,  it  is  still  full  of  faults. 
Most  of  these  are  minor  in  character,  but 
the  biggest  proposition  facing  motion-picture 
workers  to-day  is  stereoscopic  cinematog- 
raphy. 

Some  aver  that  there  is  no  art  in  motion 
pictures,  and,  while  not  entering  into  a  con- 
troversy on  the  subject,  I  affirm  that  were 
photoplays  to  be  shown  in  bold  relief,  all 
doubt  would  be  destroyed. 

Aside  from  this,  it  would  automatically 
bring  about  several  improvements  which  we 
fans  would  heartily  welcome.  Who  has  not 
strained  his  neck  in  having  to  sit  in  one  of 
the  front  rows  through  seats  being  at  a 
346 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

premium?  And  why  is  it  you  can  not 
view  a  motion-picture  performance  for 
more  than  two  hours  at  one  sitting  with- 
out experiencing  a  severe  attack  of  eye- 
strain,  the  cause  of  which  is  the  inevitable 
flicker  which  occurs  even  in  the  best  regu- 
lated theaters? 

You  may,  on  the  other  hand,  have  sat 
so  far  away  from  the  screen  that  the  players 
resembled  midgets.  All  this,  by  the  way, 
stereoscopic  cinematography  would  rectify. 
Is  it  not,  therefore,  a  goal  well  worth 
striving  for? 

What,  then,  have  inventors  to  do  in 
order  to  reach  it?  First  of  all,  it  would 
have  to  answer  all  practical  requirements. 
No  photoplay  exhibitor,  for  instance,  would 
adopt  a  stereoscopic  method  unless  it  did 
not  necessitate  a  special  projection  machine, 
or  that  material  alterations  would  not  have 
to  be  made  to  adapt  the  projector  at  present 
used  by  him.  He  would  also  insist  upon 
using  ordinary  films. 

With  these  preliminaries  over,  we  are 
in  a  better  position  to  criticize  the  three- 
dimension  cinematography  invented  by 
Edwin  B.  Porter  and  W.  E.  Waddell.  A 
demonstration  of  their  method  was  given 

347 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

at  the  Astor  Theater,  in  New  York  City, 
recently. 

Every  one  of  the  invited  spectators  was 
required  to  use  the  pair  of  red  and  green 
glasses  provided.  With  the  aid  of  these, 
as  all  the  lights  went  out,  the  viewer  was 
treated  to  a  motion-picture  feast,  the  like 
of  which  no  fan  had  ever  gazed  upon 
before. 

Natural  backgrounds,  and  particularly 
those  of  rural  surroundings,  revealed  the 
process  at  its  best,  the  stereoscopic  effect 
being  most  pronounced. 

When,  however,  interior  work  came  in 
for  treatment,  results  fell  short  of  the  first 
samples.  Especially  was  this  true  of  scenes 
containing  rapid-fire  action.  These  failed 
to  register  at  all,  but  the  sets  were  invested 
with  a  greater  depth  and  the  images  seemed 
more  lifelike,  the  shadow  illusion  being 
partly  obviated. 

The  audience  couldn't  resist  the  tempta- 
tion to  see  what  difference  the  glasses  made, 
so  they  discarded  them,  but  not  for  long. 
Everything  on  the  screen  was  so  distorted 
that  they  had  the  utmost  difficulty  in  seeing 
anything  resembling  a  film. 

What  produces  this  peculiar  effect? 
348 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

Well,  let  me  tell  you  that  the  inventors  are 
a  little  chary  of  giving  away  their  secret. 
They  were,  however,  good  enough  to 
divulge  the  following  facts. 

The  camera  is  equipped  with  two  lenses, 
each  of  which  operates  together.  The  first 
used  are  first  produced  in  black  and  white, 
after  which  they  are  toned  green  and  red. 
As  the  two  lenses  are  separated  by  the  dis- 
tance of  the  average  eye,  it  is  essential  to 
use  the  glasses  in  such  a  way  that  the  picture 
on  the  right  is  seen  by  the  right  eye  and  the 
left  side  by  the  left  eye.  The  two  colors 
are  merged  into  one  of  a  different  but 
pleasing  tint  when  seen  through  the  glasses. 

The  process  is  practical,  with  the  single 
exception  of  the  glasses.  A  spectator  would 
soon  get  tired  of  holding  them  up  to  his 
eyes — he  wants  no  artificial  aids. 

Then,  again,  what  exhibitor  would  incur,, 
the  expense  of  providing  us  fans  with  a  pair 
of  glasses  apiece?  Transparent  paper  of 
the  right  colors  would  serve  the  purpose, 
but  even  then  the  cost  is  not  a  small  item. 
It  would  probably  mean  that  no  spectators 
would  be  admitted  unless  they  purchased  a 
pair  of  glasses.  We  might  care  to  do  this 
as  a  novelty,  but  not  for  all  time. 

349 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

It  now  remains  to  allow  the  naked  eye 
to  do  the  work.  Then  the  invention,  with 
the  slow-action  defect  set  right,  should 
stand  a  fair  chance  of  revolutionizing  the 
motion-picture  industry. 


350 


LXXIII 

SHOWING  OLD  FILMS  TO  CHILDREN 

"""THE  motion-picture  exhibitor  is  evidently 
•*•  under  the  impression  that  the  child 
problem  is  solved  by  setting  aside  special 
matinees,  but  these,  while  a  step  in  the  right 
direction,  are  far  from  satisfactory. 

On  the  seven  evenings  weekly  that  the 
exhibitor  solicits  the  patronage  of  adults,  he 
generally  presents  the  best  of  the  latest  pro- 
ductions. At  the  special  children's  perform- 
ance, however,  he  seems  to  take  a  pride  in 
showing  motion  pictures  anywhere  from  a 
year  old  and  up.  This  "junk,"  as  it  is 
termed  in  trade  circles,  is  what  is  standing 
in  the  way  of  an  adequate  supply  of  new 
juvenile  subjects.  The  exhibitor  rents  these 
films  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  per  reel  for 
one  day  from  the  exchange.  Each  reel  the 
exchange  has  purchased  from  the  producer 
for  $100,  so,  in  order  to  recover  the  initial 
outlay,  two  years  must  elapse  before  the 
exhibitor  can  obtain  same  at  his  price. 

351 


MOTION   PICTURE   EDUCATION 

The  exhibitor  avers  that  the  children's 
performance  is  not  a  paying  proposition,  but 
he  is  not  going  the  right  way  to  make  it  so 
when  he  puts  on  a  cheap  program. 

He  also  considers  that  anything  will  do 
for  the  kiddies.  There  is  a  marked  differ- 
ence in  the  photoplays  released  several  years 
ago  and  the  present-day  output.  Now, 
wholesome  stories,  good  acting,  careful 
staging  and  attention  to  detail  are  the  order 
of  the  day,  and  to  feed  children  on  an  anti- 
quated motion-picture  diet  is  a  penny-wise 
and  pound-foolish  policy. 

Then,  there  are  the  educational  subjects 
to  be  considered.  Some  of  these  are  of 
timely  interest  when  first  shown,  yet,  by  the 
time  they  are  exhibited  at  the  average  chil- 
dren's performance,  their  instructive  quali- 
ties are  practically  nil. 

A  child  who  has  been  taken  to  an  ordi- 
nary performance  will  find  many  desirable 
qualities  lacking  in  the  children's  perform- 
ance, which  will,  in  all  probability,  become 
a  bore.  He  may  then  attend  the  photoplay 
theater  without  the  parents'  consent  when 
undesirable  (to  him)  pictures  are  on  the 
program. 

I  realize  that  there  is  the  exhibitor's  case 

352 


MOTION  PICTURE   EDUCATION 

to  be  heard,  but  were  he  to  charge,  say,  five 
cents  additional,  I  feel  sure  that  parents 
would  not  resent  such  an  increase  if  it 
meant  the  newest  juvenile  productions  being 
shown. 

It  is  useless  to  appeal  to  the  producer, 
who  is  a  business  man  and  must  be  guided 
by  the  needs  of  the  exhibitor — the  retailer. 
The  exhibitor  must,  therefore,  be  ap- 
proached before  any  response  can  be  made 
to  the  increased  production  of  these  pictures. 

The  problem,  in  my  opinion,  will  only  be 
solved  when  companies  that  specialize  in 
the  production  of  child  photoplays  are 
formed,  and  a  chain  of  theaters  opened  all 
over  the  country  catering  to  young  folk 
only.  But  until  this  time  comes  it  is  up  to 
the  mothers  to  leave  no  stone  unturned  to 
persuade  exhibitors  to  forsake  their  present 
cheap  policy. 


353 


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